On a lazy Weekend morning, when your Groceries are out of stock, what do u make to brighten up everyone ? Got it .. Dum Aloo [ Energized Potato 😉 ] in a Chaat form is so inviting!! Isn’t it? All it needs is some small size potatoes, tomatoes and onion. Most Indian homes don’t run out of these .

This is Punjabi style Dum Aloo, I have also shared UP style and Kashmiri Style in my earlier posts. However, again, instead of deep frying them I shallow fried them in my grill-pan. I highly recommend this Grill pan of Nirali, bought from India. Believe me, I was able to get the same brown crispy edges in less oil only because of this pan.

Specialty of this Food is it could be served as an appetizer or as a side or sabzi in your Main course. We like it on a dry side, but you can serve it like a gravy based curry with Roomali roti , Lachchha parantha etc. The tanginess of Spices , the sweetness of potato, and the hotness of chillies give it a perfect boost for taste. Now lets go to this recipe..

INGREDIENTS:
1. Onion (pyaz)-1 big
2. Tomatoes – 2 big
3. Ginger (adrak)- 1 inch
4. Cinnamon stick (Dal chini) – 1 inch
5. Garlic (lehsun) – 2 to 3 cloves
6. Red chilly powder (Lal mirch) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
7. Fennel powder (saunf)- 1 tsp
8. Coriander powder (dhaniya)- 1 tsp
9. Turmeric (haldi) – ¹⁄₄ tsp
10. Salt – 1.5 tsp or to taste
11. Boiled potatoes – 4 to 5 medium sized or 8 small
12. Mint (Pudhina) – 2 to 3 leaves for garnish
13. Cashews (Kaju) soaked in water -15
14. Yogurt/cream – 4 tbsp
15. Chaat masala (Indian Spice) – 1 tsp or to taste
16. Garam masala (Curry powder) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
17. Black cardamom (badi Elaichi) -1
18. Cooking Oil – 4 tbsp
19. Kashmiri mirch/degi mirch – 1 tsp (for extra red color)

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 15 -20 mins | Cooking time : 35-40 mins | Serves 4 persons |

1. Wash and boil the potatoes in pressure cooker or pan. Today we will use all Punjabi spices to make this chaat.
   Wash the potatoes under cold running water, or wait to cool them down. Peel them and keep aside. Soak the cashews in lukewarm water for 30 mins.
   

2. Heat some oil in a wok (kadhai). Add dalchini, badi elaichi in it. Let them roast for a while. In the meanwhile ,roughly chop your onions.
   

3. Add the onions, ginger and garlic in the wok too. Let them change color ,then turn off the heat. You may add tomatoes too and cook them slightly. I however, pulse them raw with the onions. This saves my time and does not a affect the color and flavor of the dish according to me.
   

4. Next step is to pulse together the onion masala from wok with cashews and tomatoes in your food processor or mixer. Puree it and then sieve it through a colander and keep aside. The gravy is ready for your dish. I , however, did not sieve it, since Punjabis like it thick. 😉
   

5. In the meanwhile, cut your potatoes to medium size or bite size you prefer. If they are already small , you may not slice or cut them. Take out your cast-iron griddle (tawa) or your sizzler plate or any non-stick griddle. I used my grill pan with little oil to roast these potaotes.
   

6. This roasting takes time and patience but its worth the effort , the aroma ,flavor everything remains intact . It took me 20 mins to reach this brown edged potatoes and they look so appealing with these grilled prints .:D

After 15 mins

After 20 mins

1. You may serve them as they are by sprinkling some chaat masala or you can consume in the form of a main course dish.

2. For preparing dish, heat wok, add the gravy prepared in step 5. Now add the turmeric, salt, coriander, fennel , red pepper powder and stir them with a spatula. Add some garam masala and kashmiri lal mirch for extra red color.
   

3. Add some water and then add the roasted potatoes in it. Cover it and let it cook for 5-10 mins on low heat or dum. When the water has evaporated , and you see the potatoes have absorbed the flavors well, add the whipping cream or fresh cream to garnish it and turn off the heat.
   

1. Add some dry mint powder and garnish it with a sprig of mint. Serve hot with Roomali roti,kulcha or rice. In the end sprinkle some chaat masala and enjoy !!
   

Please comment below if you have some similar stories to share with me! Thank you visiting this page.
Till then keep Dum cooking…..
🙂