dum aloo

INGREDIENTS:
main ingredients:
•450 to 500 gms baby potatoes - 28 to 32 baby potatoes
•100 gms tomato - 1 medium to large tomato, minced, grated or finely chopped
•1 inch ginger, minced or finely chopped
•2 to 3 green chilies, slit
•½ cup yogurt/dahi/curd
•2 tbsp cream
•2 to 2.5 cups water
•1 large indian bay leaf/tej patta or 2 to 3 small to medium tej patta
•2.5 tsp coriander powder/dhania powder
•¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
•½ tsp kashmiri red chili powder or deghi mirch
•3 tbsp ghee
•salt as required
•few chopped coriander leaves for garnish
spices powdered:
•2 tsp cumin/jeera
•1.5 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
•4 cloves/lavang
•3 to 4 green cardamoms/hari elaichi, choti elaichi
•½ tsp fenugreek seeds/methi dana
INSTRUCTIONS:
powdering the spices:
1.roast the whole spices mentioned under the list "spiced to be powdered" in a small pan till fragrant.
2.when cooled, powder them coarsely in a mortar and pestle.
preparing the potaotes & gravy:
1.rinse the baby potatoes very well in water.
2.if you plan to keep the peels, then scrub the mud with a brush and rinse the potatoes very well.
3.boil or steam the potatoes, till they are almost cooked. peel and then prick with a fork on all sides.
4.heat 2 tbsp ghee in a frying pan. saute the baby potatoes till lightly browned. remove and keep aside. you can also saute the baby potatoes in batches. add more ghee if required.
5.in the same pan, add 1 tbsp ghee. add the bay leaves and saute for a few seconds till fragrant.
6.then add the ginger and saute till the raw aroma goes away.
7.add the tomatoes and the spice powder that we made.
8.stir and saute till the fat starts to release from the tomato mixture.
9.whisk yogurt in a small bowl till smooth. add the yogurt to the pan and stir briskly. saute till the fat releases from the mixture.
10.if the yogurt curdles, then just continue to saute till all the liquids are evaporated and the whole mixture comes together and you see the fat clearly from the sides.
11.add the coriander powder, red chili powder and turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
12.add the potatoes and green chilies and saute for 2 to 3 mins till the masala has coated the potatoes well.
13.add water and salt. stir and let the curry come to a boil.
14.lower the flame and simmer the dum aloo till all the flavors of the curry has well blended for about 8 to 10 mins. if you want a slightly thick curry, then simmer for some more minutes. for a thin curry, you can add some more water.
15.lastly add cream and stir again.
16.switch off the flame and serve dum aloo hot garnished with coriander leaves.