Hot and Tasty Dum Aloo

As winter starts setting in, our senses crave for something hot and comforting, and that's exactly what we want our food to be too, right? So what could be better than hot and spicy curry served with parathas or rice?! That was precisely the thought in my mind when I decided to pick up these baby potatoes over at the vegetable market. They were so cute and so inviting I had to buy them and put them to good use. And there is no other way to enjoy these than to make Dum Aloo - a vegetable curry packed with spices and flavor. "Dum" means strength, and that is precisely what's packed in these tiny potatoes that are flavored with spices to the core and are simmered in a rich curry. Here goes my recipe!

Ingredients
1/2 kg baby potatoes - boiled and peeled
3 tbsp lemon juice
Few coriander leaves - chopped
green spring onion - chopped for garnish
4 tbsp cup ghee
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp tandoori masala (available in indian stores)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk.
oil for shallow frying the potatoes

For the masala paste
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)
2 small onions, chopped
a small piece of ginger
1/2 cup grated coconut
8-10 cashew nuts
2-3 green chilies
2 tsp red chili powder
6 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric and curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

Method
Mix all the ingredients of masala paste and blend to make a fine and smooth paste.
Peel the potatoes and make 5-6 holes in them using a toothpick. Then shallow fry them in a little oil and remove immediately. This is just to give them a crispy texture on the outside. Now heat ghee in a pan and fry the ground paste. When it starts giving out an aroma and ghee starts to separate at the edges, add water and milk and let it simmer. Next add the lemon juice and the potatoes. Add the tandoori masala and cook covered partially for 8-10 mins to allow the masala to seep into the potatoes.

Once it's cooked and the potatoes look tender, remove from flame and transfer to a serving bowl or kadai. Garnish with chopped coiander and spring onion leaves and serve hot with Parathas or Rice.