Dum Aloo (Whole Potato Curry)

Dum Aloo is one of the popular North Indian cuisines, more specifically a Kashmiri cuisine. Smaller potatoes are usually taken for this recipe. These are first deep fried and then cooked slowly on a low flame in a curd based spicy gravy (fresh garam masala powder is very important constituent).

Ingredients:

• 1 pound equal sized small round potatoes
• 1 Medium size onion grated
• 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• A pinch of asafetida
• ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 Cup smooth curd / yogurt
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 tbsp Ghee or oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Peel potatoes and prick them with the help of fork.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes on a medium heat until their color changes from white to light brown or pink. Keep them aside.
• Add asafetida, bay leaves and ginger-garlic paste and grated onions to the remaining oil. Fry the mixture till the paste turns brownish.
• Add turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Fry again for about a minute. Add smooth curd.
• Keep stirring continuously till the oil separates. Pour 2-3 cups of water to make gravy.
  Now add pricked potatoes to this gravy and cook in a pressure cooker. Remove from the flame just after the first whistle.
• Garnish it with fresh coriander.
• Serve with Poori, Paratha or Roti ( Indian Flat Bread).

Do You Know?

Potatoes are often broadly classified as high on the glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a “low GI” eating regimen. In fact, the GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on type (such as red, russet, white, or Prince Edward), origin (where it was grown), preparation methods (i.e., cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole, etc), and with what it is consumed (i.e., the addition of various high fat or high protein toppings) (Fernandes et al. 2006).