Baby potatoes, cooked and then fried in the most deliciously spiced Indian gravy is what a dum aloo recipe is all about. We’ve taken the traditional Punjabi dum aloo and the Kashmiri dum aloo and tweaked it to create our perfect blend, and judging by all the empty plates, our family thinks we’ve done a good job!
Why you’ll love this dum aloo recipe
- Your friends will think you’ve ordered a takeaway, and they’ll want the name of it.
- It’s bursting full of Indian flavors.
- It’s great as a main course or as a side dish.
- It’s 100% vegetarian and vegan.
We’ve created an Indian restaurant style aloo and experimented with it until it’s perfect and after extensive testing with our family and friends, we think you’ll agree that we’ve got it just right!
What is dum aloo called in English?
In English, Dum means to be slow-cooked and aloo means potato.
What is Dum Aloo?
It’s a potato curry that contains baby potatoes in spiced Indian gravy.
What are the different types of dum aloo recipes?
The wonderful thing about Indian cooking is that it’s fluid, and it’s reactive.
From one town to the other, recipes can change due to ingredient availability and traditions.
When we traveled around India, one recipe would have so many different variations depending on where you were in the country and who was cooking for you.
There are three main dum aloo recipes, Kashmiri dum aloo, Punjabi dum aloo, and Indian restaurant dum aloo.
What is dum cooking?
Dum cooking is simply cooking slowly and in a pot with a lid to keep in the aroma.
Indian restaurant dum aloo
This recipe is Indian restaurant aloo, it’s been tweaked and isn’t traditional of Kashmiri or Punjabi, but some would argue that it’s more universally appealing because it’s sweeter and creamier.
Typical spices used include turmeric, cloves, coriander powder, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and ground fenugreek
Kashmiri dum aloo recipe
Kashmiri dum aloo is a popular Indian dish, this variation of dum aloo is made to be spicy and sour.
The baby potatoes are spiced, and this recipe doesn’t use garlic or onion.
Typical spices include Kashmiri red chili powder, Cumin seeds, garam masala, ginger and garlic paste, turmeric powder, and Kasuri methi.
Whether you make a Punjabi dum aloo recipe, Kashmiri dum aloo, or our restaurant dum aloo, we’re certain you’re going to love it!
Punjabi dum aloo recipe
To recreate a typical Punjabi dum aloo recipe, you’ll need to cook with spices and cream.
Typical spices used in Punjabi-style dum aloo include ginger powder, cardamon, fennel powder, and caraway seeds.
Do I have to deep fry the baby potatoes?
It’s not essential and we didn’t, we shallow fry our potatoes.
Why do you have to prick the baby potatoes?
You need to prick the potatoes so that you get maximum flavor.
By pricking a small hole, the potatoes absorb all the delicious gravy that they are cooked in.
What do I serve dum aloo with?
Dum aloo is a fantastic potato curry that goes incredibly well with a variety of side dishes.
- Raitas – try a bhindi raita, a boondi raita, or cucumber raita, perfect for cooling down the spices of this aloo recipe.
- Rice – steamed rice, pilau rice or jeera rice.
- Dal – try a chawal dal, tarka dal or cauliflower dal.
- Bread – try a naan bread, a peshwari naan, roti or chapati.
Recipe notes and tips
- Don’t skip pricking the baby potatoes
By pricking the fried potatoes, you’re allowing the flavor of the dum aloo gravy to be absorbed by the potato. - Get ahead
Make homemade ginger garlic paste the day before and store it in the fridge, check out our paste recipe.
More aloo recipes that you’ll love
If you love our dum aloo recipe, then you should give these aloo recipes a try; aloo gobi, saag aloo, aloo palak, aloo tikki, and jeera aloo.
How to make dum aloo with step-by-step instructions
Making our aloo recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.
Over medium-high heat bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then, add the baby potatoes and boil for 20 minutes.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them, rinse under cold water and then peel the boiled potatoes.
In a skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil, then add your potatoes and fry, occasionally stirring to ensure an even browning.
Set aside and allow to cool, then in preparation, prick each potato, 3-4 times with a cocktail stick, so the curry sauce can absorb the flavors into your potatoes.
Then, in the same pan, over medium heat fry your green chilies, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and bay leaves for approximately 30 – 60 seconds.
Now, add your cashew nuts and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Next, add onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes then cook until the onions are soft and translucent for approximately 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.
When cool, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and add the ingredients to your blender and blend until a smooth paste has formed.
Now, add the paste to the pan, then add red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fenugreek powder, and turmeric, stir to combine, cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and don’t allow it to burn.
Next, add your whisked yogurt and stir to combine, then add water stir and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
Then, add garam masala, heavy cream, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to taste and stir to combine, and simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
Now, add your cooked potatoes, stir to ensure they are fully coated with your sauce, they need to be dum cooked, so place the lid on the pan and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.
Next, tear up some fresh cilantro leaves, and scatter them over your cooked dum aloo.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
We hope you enjoy making and eating our dum aloo recipe and would love to know how you got on with making it.
Please leave a comment below and feel free to ask any questions you may have,
Why not try this Filipino fruit salad with cream cheese from So Simple Ideas.
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RESTAURANT STYLE DUM ALOO RECIPE
Utensils
Ingredients
- 1 lb Baby potatoes
- 4 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 3 Green chilis
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Green cardamon
- 2 Bay leaves
- 20 Cashew nuts
- 3 Onions finely chopped
- 3 Inches Ginger grated
- 6 Cloves of garlic minced
- 7 oz Tomatoes quartered
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Fenugreek powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ¾ cup Plain yogurt whisked
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Garam masala
- 3 tbsp Heavy cream (double cream)
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cilantro (coriander) leeaves to garnish
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add your baby potatoes and boil for 20 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them, rinse under cold water and then peel the boiled potatoes.1 lb Baby potatoes
- In a skillet over high heat, add vegetable oil, then add your potatoes and fry, occasionally stirring to ensure an even browning. Set aside and allow to cool, then in preparation, prick each potato, 3-4 times with a cocktail stick, so the curry sauce can absorb the flavors into your potatoes.4 tbsp Vegetable oil
- Then, in the same pan, over medium heat fry your green chilies, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and bay leaves for approximately 30 – 60 seconds. Now, add your cashew nuts and fry for approximately 2 minutes. Next, add onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes then cook until the onions are soft and translucent for approximately 10 minutes, then remove from the heat3 Green chilis, 3 Cloves, 1 Inch Cinnamon stick, 3 Green cardamon, 2 Bay leaves, 20 Cashew nuts, 7 oz Tomatoes, 3 Onions, 3 Inches Ginger, 6 Cloves of garlic
- When cool, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and add the ingredients to your blender and blend until a smooth paste has formed. Now, add the paste to the pan, then add red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fenugreek powder, and turmeric, stir to combine, cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and don’t allow it to burn. Next, add your whisked yogurt and stir to combine, then add water stir and cook for approximately 2 minutes1 tsp Red chili powder, 1 tsp Coriander powder, 1 tsp Cumin powder, 1 tsp Fenugreek powder, ½ tsp Turmeric, ¾ cup Plain yogurt, 1 cup Water
- Then, add garam masala, heavy cream, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper to taste and stir to combine, and simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Now, add your cooked potatoes, stir to ensure they are fully coated with your sauce, they need to be dum cooked, so place the lid on the pan and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes. Next, tear up some fresh cilantro leaves, and scatter them over your cooked dum aloo. Serve immediately and enjoy!1 tsp Garam masala, 3 tbsp Heavy cream (double cream), 1 tsp Fennel seeds, Salt and pepper, Cilantro (coriander) leeaves to garnish
Notes
- Don’t skip pricking the baby potatoes
By pricking the fried potatoes, you’re allowing the flavor of the dum aloo gravy to be absorbed by the potato. - Get ahead
Make homemade ginger garlic paste the day before and store it in the fridge, check out our garlic ginger paste recipe.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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Savita says
This looks like such an amazing recipe, Can,t wait to try it out.
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
We hope you love it as much as we do!
Shashi says
Oh my deliciousness – I think i could eat that whole pan by myself!
Mandy from Splash of Taste says
It’s so delicious, we wouldn’t blame you if you did!
Tavo says
Looks so tempting! I am making it for dinner, it is cold here in Northern Italy, and I crave Indian, spicy food!
Mairead says
What an amazing combination of spices for a most aromatic sauce. Thanks for all the wonderful tutorial photos.
Katherine says
Oh wow, this dish is so exciting. I love all the incredible spices in the gravy.
Donna says
So much flavor in one dish! The whole family loved this one, will definitely be on repeat.
Shelby says
I love the spices in this dish! They’re so fragrant it makes the house smell AMAZING
Jenn says
This is my kind of meal! It’s so pretty and the flavors are spot on!
Paula says
This really had great flavor, my kids loved it!
Laura says
I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine although there are lots of dishes I haven’t tried yet. One of them is the dum aloo. But I’m sure that if it taste like it seems, according to the pictures of this post, I’m going to love it. Thanks for the recipe.