Dum Aloo is a delicious Indian veg potato curry recipe where these mini/little potatoes are simmered in a creamy, flavorful vegetarian gravy. This meal comes together in 45 minutes, making it perfect for families craving for some restaurant-style food at home.
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What is Dum Aloo
Dum Aloo is a very popular Indian veg potato gravy recipe. It is also one of the popular menu items in Indian restaurants. However, it is also very easy to make it at home and this potato curry recipe guarantees you restaurant-quality taste in the comfort of your home. While there are many ways of making this restaurant-style Dum Aloo, I now prefer this Punjabi style recipe. Please note, this curry is a little different from the Kashmiri Dum Aloo recipe.
Why make this
- It's fiery, creamy, and appetizing
- The recipe is different making the flavors unique and delicious
- Vegetarian but can easily be modified to vegan
- Comes together in 45 minutes
Ingredients needed 🧾
It may look like a lot of ingredients are needed to make this veg potato recipe, but trust me, each one plays a crucial role in bringing out the real flavors!
- Baby Potatoes - you can use gold or red mini potatoes for this recipe. You may also use frozen baby potatoes here.
- Other veggies - Onions and tomatoes
- Dairy - Milk and buttermilk
- Whole spices - Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, and Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves
- Nuts - Cashews. This gives it a rich flavor.
- Spice mixes - Paprika and Garam masala
- Ginger paste, garlic, and green chilies or jalapenos
- Herbs - Cilantro
How to make it
I have divided the recipe into 3 parts to make it easy to follow.
The first step is to prep the mini potatoes
You need to boil the potatoes al dente first just until they turn soft. Test by sticking in a fork and if it goes in smoothly, the potatoes are done. I added them to a microwave-safe bowl and microwaved them for 10 minutes. You can boil them using any method convenient to you. Just be careful to not overcook them, else they will break apart. Once done, peel and prick them at a few places using a fork or toothpick. This is done so that they absorb the flavors of the masala well and helps potatoes to become spongy.
- Heat oil in the pan and shallow fry the mini potatoes till they turn light golden. Keep tossing and turning them so that they fry evenly.
- Add buttermilk, salt, and minced green chilies to a bowl. Give it a stir and keep it aside for now.
- Strain the fried little potatoes in paper towels and then immerse them in this buttermilk mixture.
- Let it rest in there for 15-20 minutes at-least. You can prick them once more after frying if needed.
The second step is to prepare the onion-tomato masala base.
Here's what you need to do for that:
- Heat oil in the same pan, saute whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick along with kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for 4-5 minutes.
- Fry till the methi releases a nice aroma.
- Now add chopped onions along with cashews and saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Next, you need to add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and some kosher salt. Cook till the tomatoes turn soft.
- Add milk. Cover with lid and let it cook for 10 minutes or till it comes to a boil. Take it off the flame.
- Let this mixture cool down and then transfer it to a blender jar.
- Grind it to a fine smooth paste. Keep it aside for now.
The third step is to finally assemble this veg potato curry.
- In the same pan, heat oil. Add and saute ginger paste, part of chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and green chilies for 2-3 minutes or till the smell of raw garlic goes away.
- Then add the prepared onion-tomato masala paste to the pan along with kosher salt and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add water according to your desired consistency. Sprinkle paprika and garam masala on top. Give it a stir.
- Lastly, add the soaked mini potatoes minus the buttermilk. Don't add the buttermilk, you can serve it along with Dum Aloo, later.
- Give the mini potatoes a light mix so that they don't break. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Serving suggestions 🍽
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Garnish with cilantro and some Kasuri methi, then take it off the flame. You can also squeeze lemon juice on top. Serve this delicious Dum Aloo warm with some Indian bread like naan, roti, chapati, puri, or even bhakri. This potato curry tastes great with steamed rice too. If you're looking for some low carb ideas, serve it with cooked quinoa or any other grains or even cauliflower rice. Don't forget to serve the leftover buttermilk on the side. You can serve Dum Aloo for family brunches, holiday feasts, and/or weekend meals.
Top recipe tips 💭
Cooking the potatoes in the first stage is a very important step. They need to cooked al dente and should not break or mash easily.
Once they are cooked, if they are slightly bigger in size, you can slice them in half and then fry them.
For a more authentic restaurant-style taste, deep fry the potatoes. Alternatively, to keep it low-fat, you can roast them in an Air Fryer.
Add some tandoori masala, paprika, and turmeric powder while frying for more flavor.
While preparing the onion masala, you can also add cumin seeds, coriander powder, and fennel seeds to make it more aromatic.
To make it nut-free, use yogurt or cream instead. Regular Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes can also be used in this recipe, you will need to cut in chunks and follow the recipe.
Potatoes can also be substituted with paneer, mushrooms, tofu, koftas, or vegan meatballs.
Some people prefer to use tomato puree instead of regular tomatoes, to make the gravy more homogeneous.
Does this freeze well?
First, the prepared curry can be refrigerated for 3-4 days easily. You can also freeze it. The other way to do it would be to prepare the masala base and freeze it.
The day you want to make Dum Aloo, you can prep the potatoes, thaw, and heat the gravy, and then add the potatoes to it.
Can this be made vegan?
Yes, it very well can be made vegan. Use vegan buttermilk to soak the fried potatoes.
You can also use any nut milk/water/stock when preparing the onion-tomato masala base.
More Indian Gravies
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Recipe 📖
Dum Aloo Curry Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For onion tomato paste
- 2 bay leaf
- 2-3 cloves
- 2-3 peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoon kasoori methi
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- ⅓ cup cashews
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Prep for the potatoes
- 250 gms baby potatoes or 20 baby potatoes
- Oil for shallow frying
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1-2 teaspoon Salt
- 2-3 green chilies or jalapenos
To prepare the curry
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 green chillies minced
- ¼ cup Cilantro
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
For onion tomato paste
- Heat oil in the pan, saute whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick along with kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for 4-5 minutes. Fry till the methi releases a nice aroma.
- Now add chopped onions along with cashews and saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Next, you need to add the chopped tomatoes and some kosher salt. Cook till the tomatoes turn soft.
- Pour milk. Cover with lid and let it cook for 10 minutes or till it comes to a boil. Take it off the flame.
- Let this mixture cool down and then transfer it to a blender jar.
- Grind it to a fine smooth paste. Keep it aside for now.
Prep for the potatoes
- You need to boil the potatoes al dente first just until they turn soft. Test by sticking in a fork and if it goes in smoothly, the potatoes are done.
- I added them to a microwave-safe bowl and microwaved them for 10 minutes. You can boil them using any method convenient to you. Just be careful to not overcook them, else they will break apart.
- Once done, peel and prick them at a few places using a fork or toothpick. This is done so that they absorb the flavors of the masala well and helps potatoes to become spongy.
- Heat oil in the pan and shallow fry the mini potatoes till they turn light golden. Keep tossing and turning them so that they fry evenly.
- Add buttermilk, salt, and minced green chilies to a bowl. Give it a stir and keep it aside for now.
- Strain the fried little potatoes in paper towels and then immerse them in this buttermilk mixture.
- Let it rest in there for 15-20 minutes at-least. You can prick them once more after frying if needed.
To prepare the curry
- In the same pan, heat oil. Add and saute ginger paste, part of chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and green chilies for 2-3 minutes or till the smell of raw garlic goes away.
- Then add the prepared onion-tomato masala paste to the pan along with kosher salt and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add water according to your desired consistency.
- Sprinkle paprika and garam masala on top. Give it a stir.
- Lastly, add the soaked mini potatoes minus the buttermilk. Don't add the buttermilk, you can serve it along with Dum Aloo, later. Give the mini potatoes a light mix so that they don't break. Cover the pan and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and some Kasuri methi, then take it off the flame. You can also squeeze lemon juice on top. Serve this delicious Dum Aloo warm with some Indian bread like naan, roti, chapati, puri, or even bhakri.
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We'll email this recipe to you, so that you can look at it later!
Sa Hoang says
Hi,
This recipe is amazing. I have a question - why should the potatoes be soaked in buttermilk? Just trying to understand how this enhances the flavor?
None the less, I'll be trying this today for dinner (minus the buttermilk, as I don't have it :))
Also, the recipe card doesn't explain about 'The first step is to prep the mini potatoes'; it is there in the blog but not actually covered in the recipe card...
Cheers!
Priya says
Hi there, soaking it in spiced buttermilk gives it a different flavor..do try it when you have buttermilk. It is covered in the recipe card called prep for the potatoes. Hope you like the dish 🙂 Thank you
Saif says
I love indian food. This vegetable curry looks absolutely delicious. I will definitely make one.
Sharon says
This sounds like amazing comfort food. I love all the spices and flavors in this gravy.
Sara Welch says
This is my kind of comfort food! So flavorful and easy to prep; easily a new favorite in our home!
kathi says
Enjoyed the step by step recipe and the beautiful pictures! Looking forward to trying!
Priya says
Thank you so much
Theresa says
This looks delicious! I’m bookmarking it! Beautiful pics, too!
Priya says
thank you so much.
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
Never heard of this one before but it looks so great. I can't wait to try it!
Priya says
Then, hopefully this is something new for you to try this weekend! 🙂
Alexandra says
I was so excited to try this at home - it is something I always enjoy eating from my local restaurants. It is a superb recipe, such lovely flavours, and I look forward to making it again soon.
Priya says
This makes me so happy! Thank you
Kushigalu says
One of the best Indian recipe to try. I will soon try your version. So delicious
Priya says
Absolutely! Thank you
Dannii says
The sauce of this looks incredible. I can't wait to try it.
Priya says
Thank you..do try it
Michelle says
So rich and flavorful! I can't wait to make it again!
Priya says
Thank you. 🙂