My brother's Kashmiri Aloo Dum (Potatoes and Chickpeas in Indian Spiced Yoghurt Sauce)

This is another delicious dish my brother prepared. Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love Indian food. This dish really surprised me as it tasted incredibly authentic. My brother put a lot of effort into it and also used his new mortar to pestle a fresh masala spice paste. He mentioned the bell pepper were cooked too long, but for  me it just added to the flavor. I really enjoyed eating it and hope to be able to try more of his Indian dishes :)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lbs small potatoes - peeled and halved
• 1 liter salt water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion - chopped

       Masala spice mix:

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 red chilis - sliced

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cardamon seeds
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinamon stick
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste 
• 2/3 cup red bell pepper - diced
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• salt to taste

• chopped coriander for garnish
• serve with Basmati Rice

 

Preparation

1. Use a tooth pick to prick each potato piece so that they can absorb the salt water. Let them soak in salt water for about 1 hour.
2. Heat up oil in a frying pan. Sauté onions. When gold brown, set the onions aside, keep the oil in the fying pan.
3. Prepare the Masala Spice Paste: Add the masala spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, tumeric powder, garam masala and red chilis) to the used frying pan. Fry for a couple minutes on medium heat, stir frequently to prevent burning. Then, transfer them into a mortar and pestle to a paste.
4. In a clean frying pan, heat up oil with bay leaves. Add the cardamon seeds, the gloves and cinoman stick. Fry for a minute. Add the ginger-garlic paste, the onions you had set aside, the bell pepper and the chickpeas. Fry for another minute. Add the masala spice paste with a few tablespoons of water. Stir frequently and let cook for 6-8 minutes.
5. Add the yoghurt, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, cover the frying pan with a lid and let cook for 15 minutes. If it gets too dry, add a little bit of water. At the end, remove the cinamon stick and the cloves (if you are able to find them).
6. Sprinkle fresh coriander on top and serve with Basmati rice.

Note: If you do not have a ginger-garlic paste ready to use, just prepare it yourself similar to the masala spice paste. Heat a little oil, add chopped fresh ginger and garlic (e.g. 4 ounces of each), fry for a couple minutes and keep stiring. Transfer to a mortar and pestle. Add a few drops water if too dry. Alternatively, you can also put the garlic and ginger in a blender, add a few drops of oil and blend till it is smooth. You can refrigerate or freeze the paste for later use.

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