Kashmiri Dum Aloo (Baby Potatoes in Red Yogurt Gravy)
کشمیری دم آلو (لال دہی کے شوربے میں چھوٹے آلو)
Dum aloo is cooked all over India, but the Kashmiri version stands apart: small whole potatoes, fried until golden, pricked all over so they soak up the sauce, and simmered slowly in a striking red gravy of yogurt and , scented with fennel and dry ginger. Like rogan josh, it uses no onion, garlic or tomato. It's rich, tangy and gently spiced, and it's often on the menu at Kashmiri feasts for guests who don't eat meat.
- ⏱ Total: 55 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 40 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Prick the potatoes all over with a fork or toothpick. Fry them in the oil on medium heat for 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp-skinned. Lift out.
Pour off all but 3 tbsp oil. Add the cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and and let them sizzle. Mix the chilli powder with 3 tbsp water and add; fry for 1 minute until the oil turns red.
Off the heat, stir in the yogurt little by little. Return to low heat, add the fennel, dry ginger and salt and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the oil separates.
Add the water and potatoes, cover and cook on the lowest heat () for 15 minutes, until the potatoes have soaked up the red gravy and it's thick.
Sprinkle with garam masala and coriander and serve with rice, naan or puri.
Kitchen notes
Pricking the potatoes before frying lets the gravy seep right into them.
Use full-fat yogurt at room temperature; low-fat yogurt splits more easily.
Regular potatoes cut into chunks work if you can't find baby potatoes.
Kashmir’s famous potatoes
Potatoes reached Kashmir only a couple of centuries ago, but Kashmiri cooks quickly gave them the full wazwan treatment. Dum aloo is now one of the valley’s best-loved dishes, served at weddings, festivals and in homes, and it’s popular in Indian restaurants abroad.
The same sauce as rogan josh
The gravy is close to the one used for rogan josh: chilli bloomed in hot oil until it turns red, yogurt, fennel and dry ginger. Fennel gives a sweet, anise-like warmth and dry ginger a gentle bite. Hing replaces onion and garlic in the Pandit style.
Frying and pricking
Frying the boiled potatoes until their skins are crisp means they keep their shape during the slow cook. Pricking them lets the red sauce seep in, so each potato is coloured and flavoured right through.
Serving
Serve with steamed rice, naan or puri. It’s a natural partner for rogan josh at a Kashmiri-themed dinner, followed by Kashmiri chai.
Questions people ask
How is Kashmiri dum aloo different from Punjabi dum aloo?
Kashmiri dum aloo is yogurt-based with no onion or tomato and a bright red colour. Punjabi dum aloo uses an onion-tomato gravy, often with cashews and cream.
Is it spicy?
Mild to medium. Kashmiri chilli is more about colour than heat.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 290
- Protein
- 6 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
