Kosha Aloor Dom / Bengali Style Spicy Dum Aloo

Today Abidjan was a little sunny. A great relief. But then from the afternoon it started pouring again. Mood was developing for a steaming bowl of soups, but the kitchen was a mess right then. Sundays are holidays, so my maid did not come today. Generally I complete my cooking on Saturday mornings, and use the leftovers for the dinner. Then again I cook on Sunday morning. And it turns into a complete mess. The used plates from the previous day, then there is the elaborate Sunday breakfast and then lunch. Now, the elaborate Sunday breakfasts are genuine basic needs. Someday they are luchi-aloordom with some suji halwa, somedays masala dosa with sambar, sometimes luchi-ghughni..and if there is some leftover Biriyani...I might not have to look for options then.

So, by the time I finished preparing Lunch...everything was misplaced in such a way that I could not pull anything together. So..I lost interest and left kitchen for the day. I mean really, I hate cleaning after cooking. Its such a discouraging job.

This spicy Dum Aloo with layered triangular shaped Paratha is our absolute favourite combo. Be it breakfast or diner, aloor dom can never fail. Of course, for Bengalis rice has to be included in the lunch. So we generally exclude paratha from lunch. But dum aloo can also be paired with some dal and rice (yellow lentils and rice).

For cooking Kosha Aloor Dom, I applied the method of “Koshano”, where you simmer the onions and tomato paste with garlic, ginger and spices for a long loooong time,and finally with all that cooking they turn almost brownish black with little red hint, and oil starts to ooze out from them. That is when you know that the cooking is done.

Adding green peas to the dum aloo is a personal choice. Some prefer dum aloo with green peas, while some don’t. So go ahead and prepare this feasty beangali delicacy.

Kosha Aloor Dom / Bengali Style Dum Aloo

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

4-5 medium potatoes / 10-12 baby potatoes

1 medium onion – paste

1 small tomato – paste

½ cup green peas (optional)

3-4 garlic cloves – minced / paste

½ inch stick of ginger – paste
a pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp turmeric powder

2-3 tsp red chilli powder (adjust according to your heat tolerance)

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp bhaja mosla (dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dry red chilli and black peppercorns, and then grind to a fine powder)

1 small bunch of fresh coriander leaves – chopped

4-5 slitted green chillies

1 medium cinnamon stick

3 cloves

3 green cardamoms

1 large bay leaf

Salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Peel the potatoes. If you are using normal potatoes then cut them into 4 pieces and if you are using baby potatoes, then use them as whole.

Heat oil in a kadai and shallow fry the potatoes, until they become golden from each of the sides.

Follow this process for each of the potato pieces. Once done, take them out of the kadai / pan and put them into a bowl.

In the same oil, put the hing / asafoetida and whole garam masalas, i.e cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom and bay leaves. Sauté for some seconds or until the oil become aromatic.

Now, put the garlic paste into it.

Sauté till the garlic flavour is gone and the paste starts to change its color.

Now add the sugar. Sauté for some seconds or until the sugar melts. Do not let the sugar to burn and turn black. This will leave a bitter taste in your dish.

Then add the onion paste and mix evenly. Stir and cook till the onion paste starts to change its color. It will take 5-7 minutes on low to medium flame.

Then add the ginger paste and tomato paste.

Stir and cook again for 5-7 minutes on medium flame or until the tomato paste starts to ooze out oil from it.

Add a little water to this prepared paste and mix in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then add the fried potatoes and salt.

Add 1 cup of water. Mix everything and put cover.

Put the flame on low to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked properly. i.e. they become soft from inside. Test by pressing a potato with a spoon or fork.

Do check and stir in between. If the gravy turns dry in this process, do add some water.

If you are adding green peas, then add them when the potatoes are almost done. In that way they will retain their colour almost intact.

Once the potatoes are all done,  add the chopped fresh coriander leaves, bhaja mosla and garam masala powder.

Add water according to your preferred consistency of the gravy. If you want thick gravy then add little water and if you want a thin gravy then add some more water. Mix and Simmer for 3-4 more minutes, or until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

Put off the flame and serve hot with some dal and rice or roti or paratha or luchi.