Punjabi style Dum Aloo, a curry made with baby potatoes and cooked with spices, yogurt, this curry is so flavorful you won’t miss meat at all.
Dum Aloo is a classic Indian curry featuring tender baby potatoes cooked in a smooth, creamy, and aromatic sauce made from onions, tomatoes, and yogurt. This flavorful Punjabi Dum Aloo recipe strikes the perfect balance—rich and spiced but not overly hot—making it ideal for meat-free dinners or as a delicious side dish alongside rice or naan.
There are many regional variations of Dum Aloo across India. The Kashmiri version is known for its mild flavor without ginger and garlic. Here, I share the popular Punjabi Dum Aloo recipe, widely loved in Northern India and Pakistan for its robust flavors and creamy texture.
Ingredients for Punjabi Dum Aloo
Dum Aloo is a simple yet flavorful Indian curry that you can easily make using everyday pantry staples and humble potatoes. Traditionally, this recipe calls for tender baby potatoes, which are perfect because of their thin, delicate skin that crisps up beautifully when fried. Both red and yellow baby potatoes work well. If baby potatoes aren’t available, you can substitute with medium-sized potatoes cut into halves or quarters.
Keeping the skin on adds texture and helps the potatoes hold their shape during cooking. The crispy golden exterior contrasts wonderfully with the creamy spiced gravy.
The spice blend for Dum Aloo is straightforward but aromatic. You’ll need cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom pods, cloves, black peppercorns, along with powdered spices like red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (for color and mild heat), coriander powder, and garam masala. These spices create the rich and warming flavor profile typical of Punjabi Dum Aloo.
How to Make Punjabi Dum Aloo
Prepare the potatoes until they are fully done. To help them absorb the flavorful sauce later, prick each potato gently with a skewer or toothpick.
Heat oil in a pan and shallow-fry the boiled potatoes until they turn lightly golden and crisp on the outside. Remove and set aside.
To Make Sauce : In the same pan with the leftover oil, temper whole spices like cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, black peppercorns, and green cardamom pods until fragrant. Then add finely chopped onions and cook until soft and translucent. Next, add chopped tomatoes and simmer until they soften completely.
To achieve the signature smooth and creamy texture of Punjabi Dum Aloo sauce, remove the onion-tomato mixture and blend it using a hand blender or food processor. This step saves time and enhances the sauce’s silky consistency.
In the same pan I make masala. Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and Kashmiri red chilli and fry them in oil on low heat. Keep stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pan and add a dash of water. Pour the pureed onions in and fry it. Lastly add yoghurt until the oil starts to separate.
This slow cooking process on low heat is crucial to developing the rich flavors of the Dum Aloo gravy.
Combine Potatoes and Sauce – Add the fried potatoes back into the pan, coating them thoroughly with the sauce. Let them simmer for a few minutes so the potatoes soak up all the spices and flavors.
Watch How To Make Punjabi Dum Aloo
How To Serve Punjabi Dum Aloo
Punjabi Dum Aloo pairs beautifully with homemade roti, naan, or paratha, making it a perfect vegetarian addition to any Indian meal. It also complements plain steamed basmati rice or flavorful Pea Pulao for a satisfying and balanced plate.
For a refreshing contrast, serve it alongside a fresh salad made with crisp cucumbers, sliced onions, and juicy tomatoes, lightly dressed with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
If you’re serving Dum Aloo at dinner, it works wonderfully as a hearty vegetarian side dish that complements meat-based curries, adding variety and vibrant flavor to your meal.
OTHER VEGETARIAN RECIPE TO TRY
Palak Paneer
Lahori Chanay
Punjabi Kadhi Pakora
Got any questions? Ask Me! I’m happy to help if you have any question. If you try this recipe and like it or have some suggestions , leave some comments below. I love hearing from You.
Punjabi Dum Aloo – Spicy Baby Potatoe Curry
Ingredients
- 500 g Baby Potatoes See Notes
- 1 Large Onion Sliced
- 1 Medium Tomato chopped
- 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
- 1 tbsp Ginger paste
- ½ cup Plain Yoghurt See Notes
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 piece Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Cardamoms
- 5-6 Black pepper Corns
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1½ tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- ½ cup oil
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- Salt to taste
- Coriander/cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a pot put potatoes, cover them with water and boil them until fully cooked.
- Drain them and using a skewer or a tooth pick prick them all over.
- In a pot or deep pan heat oil reserving 2 tbsp for later. Fry potatoes while turning them until they are golden. Take them out and set aside.
- In the same pan add cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black pepper. Temper for a minute and then add onions.
- Fry onions on medium low heat until they are soft. Add Ginger and garlic papste and fry for half a minute. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until they are soft as well.
- Take them out and add little water. Using stick blender or blender puree it and set aside.
- In the same pan add reserved oil and put spices including red chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. On low heat temper them while constantly stirring.
- Add a dash of water and continue to cook until its starts to simmer. Pour the pureed onion mixture and fry on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add yoghurt and stir it in. Turn the heat high and cook the sauce until the water from yoghurt evaporates and oil starts to come on the top. Add salt.
- Put the potatoes in the sauce and add little bit of water. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- In the end sprinkle some garam masala and garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with Homemade roti or naan.
Video
Notes
- If you dont have baby potatoes, you can use medium sized potatoes. Cut them in halves or quaters.
- Preferably Greek yoghurt or Pot Set Yoghurt. Make sure its at room temperature.
