Last week I had family over and I wanted to make something different for them, than the usual Indian food . I decided to give dum Aaloo or stuffed potatoes a makeover. Though this dish is a bit time consuming but everything can be prepared a day before and just baked before serving . Try to pick medium size potatoes of a fairly uniform size.
For the potatoes –
Ingredients:
- 6 medium size potatoes
- 50 gms khoya or ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 1 tsp amchur or dry mango powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsps oil.
Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into halves length wise . Scoop out the centre of the potatoes and boil them in salted water till just done. Do not boil for too long or the potatoes will start breaking. Allow the potato boats to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Meanwhile take the scooped out portion of the potatoes and roast in a pan with oil , till they are done. Add the spices and the khoya and keep the mixture aside. Once the potato boats have chilled fill the stuffing in the centre and arrange them in a baking dish.
For the gravy –
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds
- 3 onions
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp zeera or cumin seeds
- 2 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 2 cups curd
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 green chillies
- 2 tbsps oil
Method:
Rinse , blanch and peel the almonds . Make a paste of the almonds with water and keep it aside. Cut the onions into large pieces and boil them till they are soft. Drain them out and retain the water for the gravy. Make a paste of the onions . Take a pan and heat the oil in it. Add the cumin , cinnamon stick , cloves and bay leaf. Fry them for a minute to release the flavours and add the onion paste and allow it to roast for a few minutes. Do not allow the paste to turn brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and roast for a couple of more minutes. Add the almond paste and roast that too. Beat the curd well to make it smooth and add it in small quantities to the pan and let it roast for another couple of minutes. Add salt , pepper , coriander powder and green chillies. Roast all the mixture for a few minutes and add the retained water to get a thin gravy. Pour this gravy over the potatoes and bake at 200 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. This can be served with steamed rice or chapatis.