Punjabi dum aloo is a tangy potato curry that's big on taste. Baby potatoes are fried and cooked in a classic onion-tomato gravy along with cashews, yogurt and spices. Delicious when paired with Indian naan or steamed rice!
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About Punjabi Dum Aloo
Punjabi dum aloo is a hearty potato curry that you are sure to fall in love with. It has a fantastic onion-tomato gravy made even tastier with ground cashews and yogurt. Have this dish with hot naan or steamed rice and you'll become a fan for life. Guaranteed!
If you love your spuds like I do, try a close cousin of this recipe, Kashmiri dum aloo. The Kashmiri version is made without any onions, tomatoes or even ginger and garlic, yet, the taste is distinctly dum aloo-ish! Maybe because the cooking technique is similar. Or because the other ingredients, like fennel and yogurt, are common to both. At the end of the day, both recipes are winners in my book!
More aloo recipes: aloo curry, Bombay potatoes, and dry aloo sabzi.
Ingredients
1. Baby potatoes: You can certainly make dum aloo with regular potatoes, cut into medium-sized chunks, but I prefer the convenience of using baby potatoes. The skins are soft and you don't have to remove them at any stage. Plus, they cook easily and soften in no time at all.
2. Cashews: Opt for raw, unsalted cashews, not the roasted ones. Cashews add a creaminess and body to the curry; don't go overboard though as they can turn the curry sludgy if used in excess.
3. Whole spices: Fennel (saunf), coriander, and cumin are ground before using them, but the other whole spices like peppercorns, cardamom, and cloves are used whole in this recipe. However, if you don't like them in your mouth while eating the curry, you can use ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder in their place. Add it at the same time as the other powdered spices.
Note: You can make garam masala powder very easily if you want to. The homemade version is infinitely better than store-bought and really elevates any curry that it's added to. Here's a simple garam masala recipe if you want to make some.
4. Powdered spices: Just two spices are needed, chilli powder and turmeric. I prefer using a mild variety of chilli powder called Kashmiri chilli. It is not only less hot than regular chilli but also adds a pleasing natural red colour to curries. Definitely worth getting your hands on!
5. Ginger-garlic paste: A batch of ginger-garlic is indispensable to have in the fridge, especially if you are into Indian cooking. It keeps well for a few days and is easy to make. Just put equal quantities of peeled ginger and garlic in a blender along with a little water and whiz to get a smooth puree.
6. Yogurt: Yogurt adds a wonderful tang to the curry and enhances the taste of the tomatoes. Use unflavoured and unsweetened Indian yogurt or dahi, as it is also called.
Instructions
Preparation
1. Soak the cashews in a little water.
2. Boil the baby potatoes until they are soft but still firm. The skins should not split since we are going to simmer them in gravy later. Prick them all over with a fork once cool, so the gravy is able penetrate inside while the potatoes are simmering in it.
3. Shallow fry the potatoes in hot oil until slightly browned. The potatoes in dum aloo are traditionally deep-fried, but I have found that shallow frying gives almost the same results without all the excess oil.
4. Grind the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds in a spice grinder to a fine powder, and your dry masala powder is ready.
5. Chop the onion roughly and puree in a blender along with a little water.
6. Finally, puree the tomato and cashews too. Put the water that you soaked the cashews in the blender as well.
Note: If you don't already have the ginger-garlic paste, add some peeled ginger and garlic while making the onion puree. Put 6-8 garlic cloves and an inch-long piece of ginger in the blender along with the chopped onions to get one paste.
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a medium-hot pan and put the whole spices (black cardamom, cloves and peppercorns) in it. Follow immediately with the onion and ginger-garlic pastes, or the onion-ginger-garlic paste if you made one paste.
Use a big spoon to roast this masala very well, stirring frequently, so that the raw smell goes, and it becomes thick and shiny. This should take around 8-10 minutes. This is an important step called bhunai, so don't skip it. The final taste of any gravy depends a lot on how well you roast it in the initial stages. You can add a few splashes of water if the masala is sticking to the pan.
2. Tip in the tomato-cashew paste, yogurt, salt, dry masala (fennel-coriander-cumin powder), and powdered spices (red chill and turmeric). Fry this masala on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until thick. Like before, add a few splashes of water if you need to but not too much.
3. Add 2 cups water and mix well. Lower the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. When you open the pan, the curry should be glossy, with the oil having separated. Like this:
4. Now, add the fried baby potatoes and 1 cup water. Mix well, cover the pan again and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Top with some chopped cilantro, and Punjabi dum aloo is ready to be served with roti or any Indian bread of your choice!
Top Tips
1. Do soak the cashews for some time (15-20 minutes) while you do the other prep. It makes for a smooth, lump-free puree.
2. Since we are doing a lot of stirring in an open pan, I find that stirring continuously helps the wet masala from splattering. If you leave the curry to cook by itself, it will splatter all over your stovetop and backsplash!
3. If you find that the curry is too tangy for your taste, add ½ - 1 tablespoon sugar in the last 5 minutes of cooking, and the sourness will reduce. I often do this sometimes, especially when the yogurt I'm using is sour.
More Indian Curries
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📖 Recipe
Punjabi Dum Aloo Recipe
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- Saucepan
- cooking pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs baby potatoes
- 2 tbsp cooking oil for shallow frying the potatoes
- ¼ cup cooking oil for cooking the curry
- 1 black cardamom
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 1 red onion medium-sized
- 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tomato medium-sized
- 10 cashews
- 2 tablespoon yogurt whisked
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder Kashmiri chilli powder, preferably
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped
Instructions
Preparation
- Soak the cashews in a little water and keep aside.
- Wash the potatoes and put in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until they are soft but still firm. Drain the water and pat the potatoes dry. Prick all over with a fork.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Take them out and keep aside.
- In a dry grinder, put the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds and grind to a powder. The dry masala is ready.
- Chop the onion roughly and put in a blender. Blend with a little water to get a thick puree. Take it out in a bowl and keep it aside.
- Chop the tomato roughly and put it in the blender along with the cashews and the water in which they were soaked. Blend to get a puree.
Cooking
- Heat ¼ cup oil in the same pan that you used for frying the potatoes and add the whole spices: black cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then add the onion paste and the ginger-garlic paste.
- Roast this masala on medium heat, stirring with a large spoon, until the water evaporates and the rawness goes (8-10 minutes). Add a few splashes of water only if the masala is sticking to the pan, but not too much.
- Add the tomato-cashew paste, yogurt, salt, dry masala (fennel-coriander-cumin powder), and powdered spices (red chill and turmeric). Fry this masala on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often until thick. Like before, add a few splashes of water if you need to, but not too much.
- Add 2 cups water and cover the pan with a lid. Lower the heat and allow the curry to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes. When you remove the lid, the curry should be well-cooked and glossy, with the oil floating on the top.
- Add the fried baby potatoes and 1 cup water, mix well, and again cover the pan. Cook for 5-8 minutes more on low heat. Remove the lid and garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with any Indian bread of your choice or rice.
Notes
- Soak the cashews in water for 20 minutes. Soaking will soften the cashews and make for a smooth, lump-free puree with the tomatoes.
- If you don't have whole spices, you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon powdered garam masala. Add it at the same time as the powdered spices.
- If you don't have ginger-garlic paste, add 6-8 peeled garlic and 1" peeled ginger to the onion while pureeing it.
- If you stir the curry continuously, it won't spatter as much while cooking it.
- If the final curry is too tangy for your taste, add ½-1 tablespoon sugar. It will cut down the sourness.
Dawn says
Love all the warming spices in this one! Just perfect for a cold winter day while cuddling up in my comfy clothes 🙂
Shannon says
Looks great! Can you sub cashews for walnuts? I don't have cashews. Could sour cream or cream cheese be subbed?
Saima says
No, I don't think so Shannon. Walnuts would change the taste significantly. There is no cream of any kind in this recipe.