Aromas of Kashmir - Dam Aloo Recipe

This if for you Nee..Killing time leads to doing impossible things.

Ingredients
20 small-sized potatoes
mustard Oil to deep fry
3 tspn Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tspn saunf powder
1/2 cup of curd
½ tspn of black cardamom (kali elaichi) powder
1/2 tspn of dry ginger powder
4-5 cloves
A pinch of asafoetida
½ tspn shahi zeera
½ tspn of garam masala powder
2-3 inch cinnamon sticks broken in small pieces
Salt to taste

Procedure
1. Boil potatoes in a vessel till they become a little soft (DON'T pressure cook.It will be a disaster).
2. Peel and prick the potatoes all over with the help of a very thin wire or you can use sharp long tooth picks also.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes on slow flame till golden brown. Use oil generously.This is the most important step of the dum aloo cooking.
4. When the potatoes are getting fried, sprikle a little(only a little) asafoetida water over them.
5. Keep aside the fried potatoes in a vessel.
6. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add shahi zeera,cloves,cinnamon sticks, and asafoetida.
7. Add Kashmiri chilli powder and keep stirring. Whisk curd and add.Keep stirring.
8. Add water (enough to cover potatoes),saunf powder, salt and bring to boil.
9. Add fried potatoes and cover the vessel with a lid and keep flame on low.
11.Put water over the lid so that potatoes cook by dum.
12. Cook till potatoes absorb the gravy and oil floats on top.
10.Add garam masala.

Tips
1.Choose potatoes with rough skin (pahadi aloo).Ones with smooth light color skin (sweet) are strict no no.
2.Don't pressure cook potatoes.
3.Prick throughly and fry on slow flame properly.
4.Cook by dum.