Kashmiri Dum Aloo/Baby potatoes in yogurt gravy

on't you think potato is a very forgiving vegetable... no matter how you make it, what 
spices you put in it, it is almost always edible and satisfying. It is a staple in my home also, whenever I find myself staring at the refrigerator wondering what to cook, the humble potato always comes to the rescue. Also, it is very versatile and goes well with either rice or roti.
Of all the different kinds, baby potatoes are my favorite. I find them extremely cute (a big pain to peel but still love 'em). Of all the recipes I make from these cuties this aloo dum (the bihari version) is my hubby's most favorite thing in the world. Looking for a new dum aloo recipe I came across this recipe from our very own Vah Chef's cooking videos and bookmarked it. Made it a few days ago and now it is my hubby's second most fav aloo dish. How can you not like it when its baby potatoes simmered in creamy and an aromatic gravy made with yogurt, cashews flavored with traditional kashmiri spices like ginger and fennel powder.

Dum Aloo is named so because it is cooked under 'dum' or pressure. In this cooking method, the food is cooked under pressure in its own juices! 

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Aloo tikki chaat

An all time favorite in the chaat category is the one and only aloo tikki chat...its something that can have you salivating just by thinking about it. Very popular among all age groups, the epitome of indian street food. These are flavorful patties or tikkies made out of mashed potatoes and other spices, which are shallow fried then smothered with a spicy yellow peas sauce and garnished with sweet and spicy chutney, yogurt, sev, onion and fresh cilantro..YUMM!! It is always reminiscent of the carefree school and college days :) My friends and I used to queue up in front of 'chaat wale bhaiyyaji' ka 'thela' and relish it every single day... pure bliss!

These are fairly easy to make, once you have all the ingredients and are soul satisfying.This I learned from my mom..

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Kasoori methi aloo

I like the flavor of methi leaves or fenugreek very much and try to incorporate them in almost everything I make (daal, rice, roti) when they are in season. They are known for their unique taste and amazing medicinal value. One day I was craving for some aloo methi when the fresh methi were off season. I tried the same with the dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and some whole baby potatoes and it turned out just as great, a fragrant and flavorful dish with all the taste of fresh methi.

These are great for taking on picnics, for potlucks and taste awesome with pooris. You can always substitute the kasoori methi with fresh or frozen ones (see notes) but do try this once and everyone will be asking for the recipe :)

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Aloo dum

Aloo dum is my husband's all time favorite dish. He can eat this every day without complaining. Even for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries. If I ask him what to make, he will always say, aloo dum and poori! I can not blame him as this is one of the most popular and celebrated recipes in north indian vegetarian cuisine. Every region has its own version, as in Bengal they make alur dom, in Punjab dum wale aloo, in Kashmir kashmiri dahi wale dum aloo and aloo dum in UP and Bihar. These are basically whole baby potatoes simmered in spicy onion, tomato and yogurt based sauce... yumm!!

There are numerous ways to make this, here is my version, again my mom's recipe (bihari aloo dum) modified a little by me. I remember mom making these during winter times with the new teeny-weeny red baby potatoes and they were just out of this world good. Here I don't get those so I just use the regular red baby potatoes. These can also be made using bigger potatoes, just peel and cut them into chunks and use. Also traditionally the recipe calls for deep frying the potatoes but I just shallow fry them using very little oil and they taste just as great, so can be made daily without the guilt. So enjoy the recipe and let me know how it came out.

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