Wash the potatoes and put in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until they are soft but still firm. Drain the water and pat dry.

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Don't remove the remaining oil from the skillet.

In a dry grinder, put the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds and grind to a powder. Add chilli and turmeric powders and mix. The dry masala is now ready.

Heat the oil in the skillet again and add the whole spices - cardamom, cloves and peppercorns, followed by the onion, ginger and garlic pastes.

Roast this wet masala on medium heat until the water evaporates and the rawness goes. (10-12 minutes)

Add the tomato puree, cashew paste, yogurt and dry masala powder prepared in step 3 above along with some salt and 1  cup water. Mix everything well and cook this gravy for 10-12 minutes.

Add 1-2 cups water and the fried baby potatoes. Cook on a low flame for 20 minutes or until the oil leaves the sides of the skillet.

Garnish with chopped cilantro. Punjabi dum aloo is ready to serve with some hot naan or any Indian bread of your choice.