Kashmiri Dum Aaloo

Kashmiri Dum Aaloo is a popular recipe in India. As the name says, it comes from the northern state of Kashmir in India. This state is not only known for its natural beauty but also for its cuisine, which has great influences from Hindu and Islamic communities living in this region.

Many years back, when we visited this state, we were mesmerized by its beauty and taken in by its lovely cuisine. We savoured the famous Wazwan, a Thali ( combination of dishes ) served during weddings and special occasions, and enjoyed many other local delicacies.

Today’s recipe, Kashmiri Dum Aaloo is one of the many delicious recipes from Kashmir. It is basically small baby potatoes slow-cooked in rich gravy. Potatoes are deep-fried, which gives them richness. Then, gravy with selected spices and herbs is prepared. The potatoes are cooked in this gravy. The prolonged simmering of this gravy allows the potatoes to absorb all the rich flavours of the gravy. The result is a delicious dish, the taste of which will linger in your mouth long after the dish is over 🙂

As I mentioned, the potatoes are deep-fried in this recipe. But if you are health conscious and want to avoid deep frying, you can air fry the potatoes. I made them using the air frying method. The taste is not the same as the deep-fried ones (of course, the deep-fried ones are better), but the air frying method is not bad. It gives you results very close to the deep-fried ones.

I use Ninja Air Fryer, which I bought recently after much deliberation. So far, I have tried a few recipes, and the results are satisfactory. It has two baskets, which allow me to make two dishes simultaneously, separating vegetarian from non-vegetarian food, etc. It is simple to use and gives the promised results. I am a satisfied customer of Ninja Air Fryer and could recommend it to my readers. You can find the model that I use here.

Since I live in Germany, I am always on the lookout for ingredients that I can source locally for my Indian recipes. For making Kashmiri Dum Aaloo, I have found Drillinge Kartoffeln the best.

These are waxy potatoes ( called Festkochende Kartoffeln) and are small in size, which makes them suitable for this dish.

If you want to learn more about potatoes in supermarkets in Germany, please check out my article: Different Types of Potatoes in German Supermarkets- Explained.

Now, let’s start with the recipe:

Equipment Needed:

• Air Fryer or Pan for frying the potatoes
• Pan for cooking the gravy
• Mixer grinder for making the spice mix, cashew paste, etc
• Knives and Cutting Board
• Spatula
• Fork or toothpick

Ingredients Needed to make Kashmiri Dum Aaloo: 

• 750 gm Small Potatoes
• 3-4 Dry Kashmiri Red Chillies
• 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 3-4 Cloves
• 2 tbsp Mustard Oil
• 2-3 Chopped Green Chillies
• 1/2 tsp Kalonji (onion seeds)
• 3 Medium-Sized Tomatoes; chopped
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tbsp Kasuri Methi
• 1 Pinch Garam Masala
• 50 gm Fresh Cream
• 50 gm Yoghurt
• 8-10 Cashews; soaked in water for about 30 minutes
• Salt; to taste
• Oil for frying the potatoes
• 1-1½ Cups Water

Method to make Kashmiri Dum Aaloo:

• Wash the potatoes. Heat water in a saucepan. When the water comes to a boil, add the potatoes. Cook them till they are 80% done. Take them out and let them dry. Peel them if you like. If the skin is tender, you can leave it. Note: I peeled some and left some with skin to check which ones tasted better. I have shared by experience at the end of the recipe.
  
  
  
• Once they dry, deep fry them till they are golden brown. If you use an air fryer, rub oil on the potatoes and air fry them at 200 degrees Celsius for about 15-17 minutes. Mix them with a spatula or shake a basket after about 10 minutes. Then, continue air frying for the balance of time.
  
  
  
• While the potatoes are frying, prepare a spice mix by roasting Kashmiri red chillies, coriander seeds, 1 tsp of cumin seeds, fennel seeds and cloves on medium heat.
  
  
  
• When the spices start releasing a nice aroma, turn off the heat and transfer these spices to a mixer grinder jar. Once they cool a bit, grind them to a fine powder.
  
  
  
• Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and onion seeds. When the cumin seeds start crackling, add chopped green chillies. Fry them on medium heat for 10-12 seconds.
  
  
  
• Add the prepared spice mix, followed by adding chopped tomatoes.
  
  
  
• Add salt. Lower the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 5-8 minutes or till the tomatoes become soft and mushy.
  
  
  
• Whisk together yoghurt and fresh cream. Add it to the cooked tomatoes. On medium heat, cook this mixture, mixing and stirring it continuously for about 5 minutes.
  
  
  
• Add turmeric powder, kasuri methi and garam masala.
  
  
  
• Prick holes into the fried potatoes using a fork or toothpick.
  
  
  
• Add the potatoes to the cooked gravy.
  
  
  
• Add about 1 Cup of hot water. Mix everything. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Mix in between with a spatula so the gravy doesn’t stick to the base. After 10 minutes, add cashew paste (Cashew paste is prepared by grinding the soaked cashews with a few spoons of water).
  
  
  
• Mix everything. Dum Aaloo is ready to be served. Serve it with plain rotis/paranthas or pulav.
  
  

Some Notes about the Recipe:

1. I used peeled and unpeeled potatoes to experiment and see which tasted better. After frying and cooking them in gravy, I felt the peeled ones tasted better. Although the skin of the potatoes I used was tender, and I have used unpeeled potatoes in many dishes, they tasted better when boiled. In a recipe that uses fried potatoes, peeled ones work better.
2. Don’t forget to prick the fried potatoes before putting them in the gravy. Else, the potatoes will taste bland on the inside.
3. Instead of cashew paste, you can add melon or almond paste too. The taste will be slightly different, but it will be nice.
4. Read my notes below about ingredient sourcing in Germany to ensure you use the right products for this dish.

Some Notes about Ingredient Sourcing in Germany:

• Potatoes: Available in supermarkets. Use Drillinge Kartoffeln. If you don’t get them, use the regular waxy potatoes (festkochende Kartoffeln). Read my article about potatoes to know more.
• Kashmiri Red Chillies: Buy them from an Indian store.
• Fennel Seeds (Saunf): Buy them from an Indian store.
• Coriander Seeds: Buy them from an Indian store.
• Cumin Seeds: These are available in some supermarkets in the spices section. Cumin Seeds are called Kreuzkümmel. Else buy them from an Indian Shop.
• Cloves: These are available in some supermarkets in the spices section. Cloves are called Nelken. Else buy them from an Indian Shop.
• Mustard Oil: Available in Indian stores. Read my article to learn about Oil in German Supermarkets.
• Green Chillies: Available in Indian and Turkish shops.
• Tomatoes: Available in supermarkets. Called Tomaten.
• Turmeric Powder: Available in the spices section of some supermarkets. Turmeric Powder is called Kurkuma Pulver. Else buy them from an Indian Shop.
• Kasuri Methi: Available in Indian shops.
• Garam Masala: Available in the spices section of some supermarkets. It is called Garam Masala, but the taste is not like the one we get in India. You can get it easily in an Indian Shop.
• Fresh Cream: I used Schmand. Read my article to learn about cream-based products in supermarkets in Germany.
• Yoghurt: I used Joghurt 3.5% Fett. Read my article about yoghurt in supermarkets in Germany.
• Cashews: Called Cashewkerne. Easily available in supermarkets.
• Salt: Read my article about Salt in German Supermarkets.
• Oil: If you deep-fry, use Bratöl. Read my article about Oil in German Supermarkets.

Here is the recipe in printable format:

Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.

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