Punjabi Dum Aloo | Vegan

“Punjabi Dum Aloo” is a delicious north Indian curry where baby potatoes are cooked in a gravy or sauce.  This dish is made in various ways in different regions of India.  

Who doesn’t love a good potato dish right?  Potatoes are loved by almost everyone all over the world.  Fry it, bake it, boil it or simply cook it – it sure does please them all!  Make a potato dish for main course or on the side or have it as a snack, it always hits the spot!

What is Dum Aloo?

“Dum” is a type of method used in Indian cuisine where food is “slow cooked” in the gravy or sauce in a heavy bottomed pot where lid is sealed tightly, then it is cooked not only from the bottom but also hot charcoal or burning wood is placed on top of the lid to let the food inside cook from the top as well.  There is another technique Called “Dum Pukht” where the food is cooked the same way but the lid is sealed tightly with wet dough.  This technique is more than 400 years old and used till date!  It helps bring out the flavors of the dish in a different way than conventional cooking method. 

Though modern Indian households just use the tight lid to seal the flavors in, which is what I have used as well.

And “aloo” means potatoes!

There are many variations to the Dum Aloo dish.  The two most popular versions are – Kashmiri Dum Aloo and Punjabi Dum Aloo!  Kashmiri Dum Aloo is from the state of “Kashmir”, where baby potatoes are simmered in spiced yogurt-based sauce which does NOT have any onion-garlic-tomato base like many other popular curry recipes.  On the other hand, Punjabi Dum Aloo has onion-garlic-tomatoes along with yogurt, fresh creame and spices.  Punjabi Dum Aloo is also known as the restaurant style dum aloo because it how most Indian restaurants prepare it as well.

My version here is VEGAN! It doesn’t contain any yogurt or creame and its close to the Punjabi version, not at all claiming it to be the most authentic but it sure is delicious the way served in my favorite restaurant back home in India! 

What are the ingredients?

Potatoes – Dum Aloo is always prepared using baby potatoes which are par-boiled and then deep fried.  My version here is healthier because instead of deep frying, I shallow fry them in 2-3 tablespoons of oil to get that crispy outer skin on potatoes.  You could deep fry them if you want.  You could also use regular potatoes and cut them in quarters after they are boiled and then proceed with frying them.  Alternatively, you could skip the entire process of deep or shallow frying and use the boiled potatoes directly in the preparation.

Whole Spices – The whole spices give it a unique aroma and flavor; this is what makes this dish, along with dry spice powders.  I use bay leaf, whole dried red chilies, green cardamom, black cardamom, whole cloves and  a piece cinnamon stick. 

Dry Spice Powders – Turmeric, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (must in my opinion), fennel seed powder, Garam Masala, Kitchen King Masala.  Both, garam masala and kitchen king masala are commonly used in different Indian curries and are easily available in Indian Grocery Stores.  Just ask the store sales assistant for help and they will guide you.  I use the MDH brand one, and its a personal favorite for many curry dishes I make!  

There is also the addition of “Kasuri Methi”, which is dried fenugreek leaves, also available easily in Indian Grocery Stores.  But if you do not have it then it can be skipped as well.

Onion – Red onions are my go-to for any Indian cooking but yellow onion works well as well.  Just roughly quarter them and puree them without adding any water.  If you must add water then add 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.

Tomatoes – Use ripened juicy red tomatoes.  I like using those big juicy vine tomatoes ( also known as tomatoes on the vine).  You can also use Roma tomatoes as well.  I would NOT recommend using canned tomatoes, fresh is the key here. Puree it separately without adding any water as well.  I do use a tiny amount of tomato paste to deepen the color of the sauce, it is optional though.

Ginger-Garlic-Chili Paste – Use fresh ginger, garlic and green chilies and make a coarse paste out of it, I generally have to add couple of tablespoons of water to get that smooth paste consistency.

Oat Milk – I like use oat milk for this recipe.  Alternatively you could use any other plant-based milk or regular dairy milk.   The Oat milk lends this dish a very creamy, sweet taste that I really enjoy.  If you use other type of plant milk then make sure that you use thicker kind and not runny kinds.  I DO NOT recommend using coconut milk, as coconut would alter the taste of this recipe.  

Cashews – Ideally you would soak your cashews in warm water for 15-20 minutes or more.  But if you have high power blender then you do not have to.  I like to blend cashews with oat milk until it forms thick paste.

Cilantro – Garnish with fresh chopped coriander/ cilantro.

What are the steps involved in making this lip-smacking Dum Aloo?

Cooking the Potatoes 

Wash and clean the baby potatoes to make sure they do not have any dirt on them. 

Next you have to cook the potatoes.  Add 3-4 cups of water to a bit pot or saucepan over medium high heat.  Once water comes to a boil, then add salt and the baby potatoes.  Cook the potatoes till they are fork tender, this step usually takes about 15-20 minutes though the cooking time depends on the size of the potatoes you are using.  Keep an eye, do not overcook the potatoes else they will turn will break and turn in a mush later.

I do NOT recommend pressure cooking the potatoes as there are chances that they may get overcooked!

Once potatoes are cooked, let them cook for a while and then peel them.  This task is tedious and time consuming but well worth it to get the crispy exterior later while shallow frying them.

You could also poke tiny hole in the potatoes using a toothpick, skewer or fork.  This would later allow the potatoes to soak up the juices.  Be careful to not break the potatoes. This is an optional step.

Shallow Frying the Potatoes

In a fry pan, preferably non-stick – heat about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat.  Use cooking oil that has higher smoke point so any time of sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil etc. would be ideal.  

Once oil it heated, add the peeled baby potatoes and shallow fry them till golden brown.  Keep turning them to cook on the other sides.

You could also choose to deep fry the potatoes like traditional way.  Once done, set them aside.

Making the Gravy-Sauce

In a heavy bottom pan ( I like to use my trusted “Staub Perfect Pan”) heat cooking oil over medium high heat Indian cooking always requires higher smoke point oils.  Use any sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil etc., do not use olive oil or other similar lower smoke point oils.

Add the whole spices.

Let the whole spices cook for a minute, no longer than a minute, they should not burn.  

Now add the onion puree and slow cook it. Make sure to not let it burn.  Having raw smell of onion is not pleasing in any curry recipe.  The trick to get any curry right is letting the ingredients such as onion and garlic (stronger aromatics) cook for longer time till they leave their raw smell.  This would take good 3-5 minutes.   

Next addition is garlic-ginger-green chili paste. Mix it well and cook for 4-5minutes.  Just like the onion, we want the raw smell of garlic and ginger gone.  When in doubt cook it a few minutes more is my mantra, though make sure to not let it burn, lower the heat if necessary!

Once the raw smell of onion and garlic is gone, we add our dry spice powders – turmeric, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, Garam Masala, and Kitchen King Masala along with salt.  Kashmiri red chili has less spice and more red color to it, idea for making curries red without making it hot.  You could skip the red chili powder and just add the Kashmiri red chili powder to go easy on the heat.  

Let the spices bloom, this would take about 2-3 minutes.

Next, add the tomato puree and combine everything well.  Cover with lid and cook it low on slow for 5-10 minutes.  The time will vary but a sure shot way to tell the sauce is cooked through is when the oil is separating from the onion-tomato mixture. 

After that, add cashew paste to it and cook it for 10-12 minutes. Again, your clue would be to look for the oil that is separating from the ingredients added. Once that is done you can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more water if needed. I like mine on the thicker side when served with flat bread and thinner when served over rice.

The last step would be to drop our fried baby potatoes along with some “Kasuri Methi”/ dried fenugreek leaves in the prepared sauce and simmer it on low medium heat with tight lid on (process of giving it “Dum”) for 10-12 minutes.  

Our Punjabi Dum Aloo is ready, take it off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro if you want!

Serving Suggestions

Serve piping hot Punjabi Dum Aloo with Naan, Kulcha, Paratha, Roti (Chapati) or steamed Basmati Rice.