Dum Aloo (Punjabi style): Fried Potatoes in Creamy Cashew gravy

Fried baby Potatoes drowned in creamy,spicy gravy along some hot Rotis fresh from the griddle or steamin hot Jeera rice. Is it mouth watering yet. Why not prep it at home. 

The Punjabi Dum Aloo is made with a Onion tomato gravy. The gravy is a thick,creamy gravy. There is another type of Dum aloo, Kashmiri style, which uses Yogurt gravy and is thin. Both recipes are yum in their own way. 

As a spice lover I love Punjabi recipes like this Dum Aloo, Chole (Chana masala), Sarson Ka Saag, Kadhi Pakora and Dal Makhani. I already have Aloo Chole, Dal Makhani recipes on the blog. Try em with my style of Jeera rice or with Paratha. Writing down this list makes me crave for each and everyone of this recipe:-). I will probably turn into punjabi for next few weeks :-). This is one reason to love Indian food. It is so diverse and so many options for vegetarians.

Miniature  veggies always excite me. I love to make use of em where ever I can. Mini peppers, Baby potatoes, Baby Cucumbers, baby Zucchini etc. I love sprouts, Trader joes stores for that matter. Love fresh Mini veggies and seasonal veggies from there. 

So the last trip to the sprouts I ended up buying Baby red potatoes. The next thing on my mind was Dum Aloo. So here it is for you to try.

In place of Baby Potatoes you can also use regular potato cut in halves/quarts depending on size.The traditional recipe uses deep fried potatoes but I have boiled em and fried in little oil till they browned. You can pick which ever way you like. For Parties though I would prefer going with full flavors hence fried style;-).

I served it with Jeera rice during lunch  and  with Chapathi during dinner and the two combos were yum! You can also serve it with Coconut Rice or Plain Pulao. It's been a week and I'm craving for it again :-).If you are looking for gravy curry recipes like this to go with Roti/Pulao, try my sprouted Mung Bhaji or Kala chana Masala.If you are a Potato lover like me, do try my Potato curry which goes well with almost everything ;-) or Potato stir fry which is every kids favorite. 

Servings:

Four (4)

Total Time:

45 minutes

Ingredients (I use US standard measuring; 1cup=8oz=250ml):
8-10 Baby Potatoes or 3 Russet potatoes

For Gravy:

2 Tomatoes (I used Roma tomatoes)

1 medium size onion (US size)

1.5 inch Ginger

3-4 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp turmeric

15-20 Cashews

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Chilli powder or adjust

For Masala (To Grind):
12 cloves
6 Cardamom
8 Peppercorns
1.5 inch Cinnamon
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds

Punjabi Dum Aloo Step wise Recipe

1. Dry roast 12 Cloves, 6 Cardmom, 6-8 peppercorns, 1 inch Cinnamon, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds. 
2. Grind the spices to a smooth powder.
3. Peel and boil the baby Potatoes. I like to peel before so I do not have to wait or burn my hands peeling afterwards.You can microwave them for 5 minutes. Prick the potatoes with a fork and take in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with water. Heat it for 3 minutes covered. Flip potatoes and cook 2 more minutes covered. Check potatoes if cooked properly. If not cook for an extra minute or so. It is better to undercook lil bit than over cook. You can finish rest of the cooking in the gravy. Alternatively you can pressure cook for one whistle. 
4. Keep the Potatoes aside.
5. Chop one onion and two tomatoes roughly.
6. Grate 1.5 inch ginger and 3-4 cloves garlic. 
7. In a pan heat 2,tablespoon oil, add , add ginger garlic. Fry for a minute. Add chopped onions. Cook till they turn transparent.
8. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric. 
9. Add chopped tomatoes. Cook till they turn mushy.
10. Add salt to taste, 1 tbsp chilli powder. Add ground Masala powder.
11. Let the mixture cool down.
12. Blend till smooth. I used my Ninja Kitchen system to do this job and it was super smooth and easy.
13. Take 1 tbsp oil in the fry pan. Add boiled baby potatoes. Fry all sides till browned. Add the gravy. Add water to thin gravy. The gravy will thicken after boiling. Gently stir.
14. Cover the pan with lid and boil till you see oil floats on the top. While boiling check to see the mixture not burning. As the gravy has cashews it keeps thickening.
15. Gently stir not to break potatoes.
16. Garnish with Coriander.
17. Serve hot with Jeera rice (Cumin flavored Basmati Rice) or Roti.