Baby Potatoes in a Tangy, Sweet, Mildly Spiced Tomato Gravy
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: bengali
Keyword: Aloo Dum without onion and garlic, Bengali Style Aloor Dum, Niramish Aloor Dum, No onion no garlic aloo dum, Pujor Aloor Dum
Servings: 5people
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 90
Equipment
1 Pressure cooker
1 Toothpick to prick holes in the potatoes
1 Knife & Chopping Board
1 Mixer Grinder
1 Wok & Spatula
Preparation & serving bowls
Ingredients
To Boil the Potatoes in Pressure Cooker
750gbaby potatonormal potatoes will also do
5tspsalt
water
Ginger Paste
4inchginger
5pcgreen chilli
1pinchsaltto have a smooth paste
Tomato Paste
5pcmedium-sized tomatoes
waterto boil and blanch the tomatoes before making a puree/paste
For Frying the Potatoes
4tspmustard oil
1/2tspturmeric powder
Other Ingredients Required
3tspmustard oil
1/2tspturmeric powder
2tspcoriander powder
1/3tspasafoetida (hing)
1tspgaram masala powder
100ggreen peas1 big cup, optional
salt
2tspsugar
2cupwarm waterdepends on the size of your cup
1/2cupcoriander leaveschopped finely, a few sprigs of coriander leaves
1tspghee
Instructions
Boil & Peel the Potatoes
Prick a hole in each of the baby potatoes. If you are using normal potatoes, you must cut the potatoes in halves before pricking in multiple holes
In a pressure cooker, add in the water, potatoes and salt. Close the lid and switch on the flame
Allow to cook. When you near the first whistle, switch off the flame and allow to release the pressure naturally
Unlid the pressure cooker, take out the potatoes and wash over tap water to cool them down
Peel the potatoes. If you are using new/baby potatoes, you may still keep the peel on for added flavor profile
Fry the Potatoes
Put on the wok, switch on the flame
Add the mustard oil and allow it to smoke
Drop in the potatoes and add the turmeric powder
Fry for 5-7 minutes. Ensure even frying on all potatoes through regular stirring. You do not want your potatoes to turn crispy, hence keep a watch through out
Take out the potatoes from the wok and keep aside
Prepare the Tomato Paste for Niramlish Aloor Dum
Take a wok or any silver container where you can boil water
Using a knife put a coupe of gashes on each of the tomatoes, and drop them in the water
Add water, bring it to a boil and drop in the tomatoes
Allow it to cook for 5 minutes
Now bring out the tomatoes, run under tap water to cook it down
Peel the outer skin and put them in the mixie (mixer grinder)
Make a paste and keep aside
Prepare the Ginger and Green Chili Paste
Peel the ginger, chop into small pieces
Chop the chili in smaller pieces
Add both and a pinch of salt to the mixie and prepare a fine paste. Keep aside
Prepare the Niramish Aloor Dum Curry
In the wok, add oil. Keep the flame on medium
When the oil starts smoking, add in a teaspoon of sugar
Once the sugar turns red and starts caramelizing, add in the ginger green chili paste and saute
Add in turmeric powder and saute till the raw smell persists
Drop in the coriander powder and asafoetida (hing) and saute till the oil separates
Add in the tomato paste (puree), salt and garam masala powder
Saute till the gravy mix is properly cooked. You will know this when the oil starts separating and is a very important part of the recipe
Add in the potatoes, stir in the spicy nirmaish gravy
Add the green peas and water
Bring to a boil and check for seasonings. Adjust if needed
Add in the sugar
Lower the flame and allow to simmer till the gravy has reached the desired consistency
Switch off the flame, throw in the chopped coriander leaves and give it a good stir
Cover and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes
Serve hot with kochuri, luchi or khichuri
Notes
Peeling the potatoes after boiling is optional. The potato peel is nutritious and adds flavor to the dish. I have not peeled the potatoes
Irrespective of whether you peel the potatoes or not, pricking the potatoes is important to allow the flavor (mostly salt) to seep in
As a pro tip, you may add in 2-3 tsp of ketchup, but most ketchup contains onion and garlic, so your niramish aloor dum will not remain 'niramish'
Always keep an eye on whether the tomato puree/paste is cooked properly before adding the potatoes. Rule of thumb - when the oil separates you will know that the niramish aloor dum gravy has cooked properly
You may prepare your own garam masala powder for the recipe. To do so take 4-5 pieces of cardamom (elach/elaichi), 2 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini) and 4-5 pieces cloves (lobongo/lavang); and grind to a coarse powder. Preparing your own spice mix is always recommended and ensures better results
Coriander powder is one spice that takes a lot of time to cook thoroughly, hence be patient, keep stirring on a low or medium flame to prevent it from getting burnt or staying raw. A sweet fruity aroma will confirm that the coriander powder has cooked properly
If you see the spice mix drying out, sprinkle in some water and give it a good stir