Dum Aloo

I’m officially in the south! I’ve traded up the mountains and creamy curries for sand, heat and giant mung bean pancakes. Hampi has has me under her spell as I whittle away the last days of my Indian adventure in this sleepy town of massive, teetering boulders and ancient temples. I’ve found a haven here but the south really wasn’t doing much for me when I initially hit my first stop of Goa. The gorgeous, beach laden and alcohol soaked tourist wonderland of India didn’t seem real. I missed my cold mornings, hot showers and the funky, grounded, often tripped out tourists that I’d spent ten weeks around in the north. There was one word that made the south magic though: dosas. Mug beans and rice transformed into the king of all savory crepes. As soon as they combined forces with their coconut chutney and thin curry condiments I was officially swept up in my own Goan wonderland. I’ll try to uncover a good recipe here but it’s not something usually made in Indian homes, there’s a lot of prep for one meal and now that I’m in Hampi not so many places around that have mastered the art.
Onto Dum Aloo though, another dish I was taught in north India and one that’ll send you into curry heaven! The sauce is creamy but not rich (its only the work of some milk) and the stuffed potatoes humped through it are a dream for vegetarians and carnivores alike. If you’re looking for a meaty curry though, you can grill off some chicken and use the same sauce for something tasty on a whole different level. Likewise, have a play with substituting in different types of veg and cheese, the sauce is a gold mine you can do anything with!

Some prep before the magic happens:

For onion paste:

• 2 small onions finely sliced
• 2 cup water
  • Boil for 10 minutes over VERY high heat (no cover)
  • Drain water
  • Place in blender/liquidizer with 1/2 cup water and blend till smooth

 

For tomato paste:

• 3 small tomatoes
  • add to blender/liqidizer and blend till smooth

 

Ingredients:

For curry sauce:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 brown cardamom pods (They have a rough, brown bark on the outside of them. Use green pods if you can’t find brown)
• 1/2 stick of cinnamon
• 1 large curry leaf (preferably fresh, but dry is fine)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp chilly powder (or to taste)
• 1 tsp garlic ginger paste (or 1/2 tsp each of minced garlic and ginger)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp kitchen king (if you can’t find it, no stress, just leave it out. Should be available in most indian grocers)
• 1 cup milk (all milk is skim here but you can use full cream for a richer flavor)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp butter 

For the stuffed potatoes that go with the sauce: (a pinch would be around 1/4 tsp)

• 2 medium whole boiled potatoes (cooled)
• 100g cheese (there isn’t much variety in cheese here so they use something similar to mild cheddar or otherwise they stick to paneer. I reckon a stronger cheese would be really nice, like a tasty cheese or a mix with some parmesan thrown in. Not so traditional but yuuuuuuummmmm! :D)
• 1 tbsp white flour
• 1/2 tbsp corn flour
• pinch salt
• pinch chilli
• pinch whole cumin seeds
• pinch garam masala
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup milk (Add just enough that your mix is smooth but still very thick)
• 6-10 raisins

Method:

Sauce:

• Heat oil till very hot (just before smoking) over high heat in a pot
• Take off heat and add cardamum, cinnamon, curry leaf (torn into chuncks), tumeric, cumin, chilly, garlic and ginger paste and salt.
• Stir in the hot oil for a few seconds till fragrant before putting it back onto a high heat and cooking till spices are browned
• Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup water
• Cook for 5 minutes over high heat
• Add onion paste with another 1/2 cup water
• Add garam masala, kitchen king (if using) and boil for 5 minutes more over a VERY high heat, constantly stirring
• Add 1 cup milk, desiccated coconut and butter if using
• Cook for another 5 mins over high heat then done! Ready for the potatoes

Stuffed Potatoes:

• Cut the potatoes in half and hollow out of three of the halves using a spoon (keep the middle bits for the stuffing)
• Peel the skin off all of them
• Mash together the left over whole potato half and the scooped out middles with the remaining ingredients (use your fingers or a fork)
• Stuff this into the hollow potatoes
• Mix up 1 tbsp corn flour with 1/4 cup water and smear this over where the potatoes have been stuffed (this makes sure they stay together whilst frying)
• Deep fry in vegetable oil till golden brown. Pour over your sauce, garnish with some cream or butter and dig in!

Try and boil your potatoes nice and early and have them cooled down by the time you get to this stage. They’re a lot easier to handle and hold together a lot better.