Spicy Dum Alu

We had a potluck once at my work back in India. This colleague. Nilesh got Dum Alu's made by his sister and they were an instant hit. I was not much into cooking those days but took the recipe. This sheet has been with me for all these years. Recently when we had a get together at a friend's house here, I thought of finally trying this out. I seem to have forgotton the taste of what I had, but this turned out good too. I made a few changes to the original based on my experience.

Total Time: 50-60 min
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients: 8-10 baby potatoes 1 tsp Amchur / dry mango powder 1 tblsp tandoori masala 4 tblsp oil Salt to taste 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup dhaniya/cilantro leaves, chopped for garnishing Onion paste 2 onions, chopped into 4 2 tblsp cashew nuts 2 badi elaichii 1" ginger or 1 tsp ginger paste 5-6 garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic paste 2-3 green chilies 1/2 cup grated coconut 2 tblsp dhaniya powder 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp garam masala 2 tblsp poppy seeds - optional 1 tsp Kasurimethi / fenugreek leaves - optional

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Method:

1. Take onion, cashews and elaichii in a microwave-safe bowl along with 1/2 cup water. Microwave for 5 min. You can also boil in a pan on gas-stove. Cool and grind with all the ingredients under Onion paste to a smooth paste.
2. Boil baby potatoes. Peel and let it cool so that they harden a little. This is to ensure they don't break when you make holes in them. Once cooled take a toothpick and make holes in the potatoes. This is so the gravy seeps in the potatoes. If you like you can shallow fry these potatoes - I normally don't do that.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion paste till it gives out a nice aroma. Do not hurry. Cook on medium-high heat.
4. Add milk, water and salt. You can increase these amounts based on the consistency of the gravy you want. Simmer and let it boil for 5-6 min.
5. Add potatoes, amchur and tandoori masala. Let it cook on slow heat for about 8-10 min.
6. Garnish with dhaniya leaves and serve.

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Tips If you don't have baby potatoes, take normal potatoes and cut them into smaller sizes.

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