Authentic Kashmiri Dum Aloo Recipe (Kashmiri Pandit Style)

A bowl of spicy Kashmiri Dum Aloo with baby potatoes in a rich, red gravy, surrounded by whole spices like bay leaves, dried red chilies, ginger, and fennel seeds on a dark background.

4.09 from 24 votes

Authentic Kashmiri Dum Aloo Recipe (Kashmiri Pandit Style)

Kashmiri Dum Aloo is a delicious yogurt-based potato curry flavored with dry ginger powder and fennel powder. Make it in traditional Kashmiri Pandit style using my easy recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, Kashmiri

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

To Fry The Potatoes

400 grams baby potatoes or regular potatoes cut into large chunks.
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups oil for frying

For The Yogurt Mixture

½ cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
2 teaspoons coriander powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon dry ginger powder (sonth)
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
2 teaspoons fennel powder (saunf powder)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (maida) not traditional

For The Curry

4 tablespoons mustard oil
2 whole bay leaves (tejpatta)
¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
2 whole Kashmiri dry red chilies
3-4 cloves (laung) crushed
2 black cardamoms (badi elaichi) crushed
2 green cardamoms (hari elaichi) crushed
5-6 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook The Potatoes

Wash the potatoes and prick them all over using a fork or a toothpick. Kashmiri families traditionally use a knitting needle. Pricking is what allows the spiced yogurt gravy to seep into the center. Skip this step, and the inside stays bland.
Heat 3-4 cups of water in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and potatoes to the pan.
Cook for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. You can cover the pan to speed up the process.
Drain the water, then peel the potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin if it is not coming out easily with your fingers.

You can also choose to keep the potato skin on.

Fry The Potatoes

Heat oil for frying in a pan over high heat.
Once the oil is very hot, add the potatoes to the pan and fry until they turn golden brown in color.
Drain on a plate and keep aside.

Healthier swap: You can air-fry the pricked potatoes at 200°C / 400°F for 12-15 minutes, brushed with mustard oil. The texture is slightly less crisp but works beautifully.

Make The Curry

Add yogurt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, ginger powder, garam masala powder, fennel powder, and all-purpose flour to a bowl and whisk well until combined.

I always add a little flour to yogurt-based gravies to prevent the yogurt from splitting while cooking. This one step makes cooking with yogurt so much easier. It is not traditional, though.

Heat mustard oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add whole bay leaves, asafetida, dry red chilies, cloves, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, and peppercorns, and fry for 4-5 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low. Pour the yogurt mixture into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously.
Add the fried potatoes, salt, and 2 cups of water to the pan and mix well.

Add just 1 cup of water if you are looking for a thicker gravy.

Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 10-12 minutes. This is the actual “dum”: slow steam cooking that lets the potatoes absorb the masala.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Serve hot.

Video

Notes

To deep fry the potatoes, use mustard oil or any other cooking oil.

Nutrition