Dum Aloo (No Onion No Garlic) / Punjabi Dum Aloo

This recipe for Punjabi Dum Aloo, a famous North Indian curry, is made without onion and garlic. It consists of boiled and then pan-fried baby potatoes in tomato and yogurt gravy!

Dum Aloo is mild to moderately spicy, slightly tangy, creamy, and delicious. This restaurant-style curry is easy to make at home and perfectly goes with Roti, Naan, or Rice.

Jump to:

• What Is Dum Aloo
• About Dum Aloo
• Why You Will Love This Curry
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Directions
• Serving Suggestions
• Helpful Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Potato Curries
• Recipe Card

What Is Dum Aloo

Dum refers to a method of Indian cooking where the dishes are cooked on low heat by tightly sealing the pot. Dum Aloo, also known as Aloo Dum, is a curry of baby potatoes in gravy.

There are different ways of making Dum Aloo. The gravy base can be diverse, such as yogurt-based or tomato-based. Another recipe, Kashmiri Dum Aloo, is entirely different from Punjabi Dum Aloo.

Sometimes, I also stuff the baby potatoes before adding them to the gravy. Using grated paneer and nuts as stuffing makes the dish very rich.

I used tomatoes, cashews, and yogurt for the gravy in this recipe. Yogurt and cashews make the curry smooth, rich, and creamy.

About Dum Aloo

Dum Aloo comes to my top list when making potato curry. My family enjoys this Punjabi-style Dum Aloo the most. This recipe will give you the experience of a restaurant-style dish, but it is definitely not loaded with cream.

Traditionally Dum Aloo is made with deep-fried baby potatoes. However, I do not deep fry the potatoes; instead, I boil them first and then shallow fry them until they are lightly golden.

The Dum Aloo gravy is tomato-based, and I have added cashews and yogurt to make it creamy and rich. Also, they balance the taste of tomatoes. I have added a tablespoon of sesame seeds that provide a slight but delicious nutty flavor to this curry. It also goes well with potatoes.

Because the recipe is without onions, it is essential to add cashews to balance the sourness and to make the curry thick. However, if you do not want to add cashews, keep reading to learn how to substitute cashews in this recipe.

Also, adding some cream to this curry is an excellent option for creaminess and richness. However, I added yogurt to the gravy, so I did not add cream to the gravy but drizzled some before serving.

Ingredients

1. Baby Potatoes: In the traditional way of making Dum Aloo, baby potatoes are first parboiled and then deep-fried in the oil until golden brown. But in this recipe, I boiled the potatoes until they were thoroughly cooked but not overcooked. Then removed the skin of the potatoes and shallow-fried them until they turned golden. Also, I like to season them while shallow frying with salt, red chili powder, and garam masala. Seasoning the shallow-fried potatoes add more flavor to the curry, and they do not taste bland.
2. Tomatoes: Dum Aloo consists of tomato-based gravy, so choose ripe and juicy tomatoes.
3. Sesame Seeds: Sesame seeds provide a slight but delicious nutty taste to this curry. I have used white sesame seeds. You can use brown sesame seeds instead, but do not use the black variety.
4. Cashew: Makes the gravy smooth and creamy. I highly prefer cashews over a lot of heavy cream in my sauces. Sub the cashews with an equal amount of raw almonds. You can also use broken cashews as a cost-effective option.
5. Spices: I have used basic spices in this recipe which can readily be available in our pantry. Sometimes, I use my homemade Kitchen King Masala to make this curry, or sometimes, I use this homemade Garam Masala for the flavors. This curry is mild to moderately spicy, as I have used Kashmiri red chili powder. So add the green chili and red chili as per your taste.
6. Yogurt: I have used plain Homemade Yogurt for this curry. Before adding it to the curry, whisk the yogurt and make it smooth. Yogurt makes the curry creamy and smooth. However, you can skip yogurt and add 3-4 tablespoon of cream instead.
7. Herbs: Add Kasoori Methi and fresh coriander leaves for earthy flavors.

Step-by-Step Directions

Making Tomato Puree

• Add chopped tomatoes, cashews, ginger, green chili, and sesame seeds to the blender. Blend everything into a smooth puree. 
• If your blender does not yield smooth puree, strain the puree through the fine strainer. Set it aside.

Boiling The Baby Potatoes

• Bring enough water to a boil in a pot and add baby potatoes and salt to it.

• Boil the potatoes until they are entirely cooked but not overcooked.
• Drain the potatoes and let them cool enough to handle. 
• Then peel the baby potatoes and prick them all over using a toothpick or a fork.

Pan-Frying The Baby Potatoes

• Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a pan or wok, and add boiled baby potatoes.
• Pan-fry the potatoes on medium heat until they are golden on both sides. 

• Once the potatoes are golden, turn the heat on to low.
• Add salt, red chili powder, and garam masala. Stir well so the masala coats evenly to the potatoes.
• Now Remove the potatoes from the pan to a plate or bowl, and set them aside.

Making The Dum Aloo

• Now in the same pan (there will be oil left in the pan), add the prepared tomato puree.
• Stir well.

• Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and garam masala.
• Mix well and continue cooking the tomato mixture for 12-15 minutes or until it is thick.
• It is essential to cook the tomato puree for longer so it becomes thick and does not taste raw.

• Now turn off the heat, add yogurt to the gravy, and mix until it is well combined. 
• Turn on the heat again and continue cooking the gravy on low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring at intervals.

Tip: To prevent the yogurt from curdling, whisk it until it is smooth before adding it to the gravy. Also, turn off the heat before adding the yogurt and turn it on after it combines well with the gravy.

• Then add baby potatoes, mix well, and add water as required to adjust the consistency of the curry.
• Cover the lid tightly. 
• Cook the potatoes in the gravy on low-medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Remove the lid, add sugar, Kasoori methi, and chopped coriander, and mix well.
• Taste the curry and adjust the salt as needed.

• Turn off the heat, and transfer the Dum Aloo to the serving bowl.
• Drizzle some cream or whisked yogurt on top of the curry before serving if desired.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve Dum Aloo with Jeera Rice (Restaurant Style) or Whole Wheat Kulcha (No Yeast).
• Or you can serve it with Roti, Paratha, or Naan.
• Dum Aloo makes a perfect side dish to make a complete Thali.
• Before serving, you can drizzle some cream or whisked yogurt on top of the Dum aloo.

Helpful Tips

• Potatoes: Traditionally, this recipe requires baby potatoes. But even baby potatoes come in different sizes, so try to use the smaller ones. If you do not have baby potatoes, you can use medium size potatoes. If using medium potatoes, boil them, peel them, cut them into quarters, and then pan-fry until lightly golden.
• Do Not Overboil The Potatoes: It is essential to cook the baby potatoes just right. Overboiling will make the potatoes mushy, and they will break while pan-frying and further cooking in the gravy. It is better to boil the potatoes in a pan rather than using a pressure cooker.
• Pan-Frying and Seasoning The Potatoes: Pan-frying the potatoes will add a pleasant and slightly crispy texture to the potatoes. So I will highly recommend not skipping this step. Also, season them at this point with salt, red chili powder, and garam masala to make them more flavorful.
• Yogurt: I have used homemade 2% milk yogurt, but you can also use whole milk plain yogurt or store-bought yogurt. To prevent the yogurt from curdling after adding it to the gravy, take care of a few things. Use room-temperature yogurt, and whisk it until it is smooth before adding it to the gravy. Also, when you add yogurt to the gravy, turn off the heat temporarily and mix it with the gravy until well combined. And then, turn on the heat to follow the next steps.
• Sugar: Do not skip this, as adding only a teaspoon of sugar will enhance the flavors of the curry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why My Gravy Tastes Raw?

It is essential to cook the tomato mixture properly to ensure that the tomatoes do not taste raw. And for that, cook the tomato gravy for at least 12-15 minutes on medium heat, often stirring, until it gets thicker and the oil separates from the sides.

Why My Gravy Is Not Smooth?

The smooth textured gravy always tastes better. To blend the tomato mixture, use a high-power blender and grind it until the sauce is silky smooth. But if your blender does not make the gravy very smooth, make sure to strain it. So after blending, pour the sauce through the fine strainer. This way, any remaining pieces will be left out, and the gravy will be velvety smooth.

Why My Gravy is Watery?

It is often a problem with curries without onion and garlic. Because the main base of the gravy is only tomatoes, but then other elements like celery, turnips, cashews, almonds, cream, etc., come to the rescue. Including one of the thickening ingredients in the recipe will help to make the gravy thick, creamy and rich. I used celery and cashews in this recipe and cooked the tomato mixture until it got thick and pulpy. So try to include all the ingredients mentioned in the recipe. However, if you do not have celery, skip it, and instead of cashews, you can use almonds or heavy cream to make the gravy thick and creamy.

Can I Skip Cashews?

Can I Skip Yogurt?

Yes, absolutely! You can skip the yogurt if you want. Yogurt makes the curry creamy and rich and adds its texture. So instead of yogurt, you can use half the quantity of cream if you like. Or add 7-8 extra cashews for the creaminess. The other option is to add a couple of tablespoon of melon seeds with tomatoes in the blender. However, you can simply skip the yogurt without replacing it with anything else.

Can I Make This Curry Vegan?

To make the vegan Dum Aloo, skip the yogurt from the recipe or replace it with a non-dairy yogurt of your choice. You can also add half the quantity of non-dairy cream instead of yogurt.

More Potato Curries

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