Step 1. Preparation
1.Rinse the baby potatoes well. Brush or scrub the mud from them. Boil 3.5 cups water in a pan and boil potatoes until they are half-cooked.
2.Drain them and let them cool down at room temperature.
3.Peel the potatoes.
4.With a fork or toothpick, poke holes in the potatoes all over. This allows potatoes to absorb the flavors of the gravy.
5.Whisk the fresh, full-fat curd till smooth. Keep aside.
6.In a small bowl, take red chili powder and water.
7.Mix and stir well to get a smooth mixture.
8.Add chilli powder to the 2 tsp. of water and keep it aside.
9.Powder the fennel seeds and keep it aside.
Step 2. Frying Potatoes
10.In a pan, heat mustard oil till it leaves smoke.
11.Add the half-boiled and peeled potatoes and fry them on a medium flame.
12.With a slotted spoon, turn them over while frying when one side is lightly golden.
13.Remove the golden and crisp potatoes with a slotted spoon.
14.Place them on paper napkins.
Step 3. Making Kashmiri Dum Aloo
15.Use only 2 tsp. oil from the same pan. Let the oil cool down, and add asafoetida powder to the oil. Stir well.
16.Then add the red chili + water solution and stir well. Lower the flame.
17.Now add the beaten curd. Stir continuously so that the curd does not split.
18.Add water and continue to stir and mix well.
19.Add fennel powder, whole spices, and ginger powder. Stir well.
20.Now add the fried potatoes and stir.
21.Season with salt and stir again.
22.Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium flame. Here we are cooking the potato gravy on dum.
23.The gravy should become thick.
24.Depending on how thick or thin you want the gravy, you can always add less or more water.
25.Sprinkle some caraway seeds from the top (optional) and serve Kashmiri Dum Aloo hot with naan, rotis, or Basmati rice.
