Dum Aloo or Aloo dum is a potato based gravy which is very popular in Kashmir. I browed few recipes and found deep fried small potato /Baby potato is used in this dish. Authentic Kashmiri dum aloo is prepared without onion and tomato. Curd & Kashmiri red chilli are the most important ingredients for the base of gravy apart from spice powders. So the recipe I have shared here is not the authentic one.
Recently I tasted Dum aloo for the first time in my friend Megha’s house birthday party. I loved its taste and got the recipe from her. Based on her recipe, I browsed and found this Punjabi style dum aloo in Spice up the curry. After going through rave reviews from the readers comments, I tried this recipe confidently. Yes, it came out finger licking good with a nice flavor. It tastes similar to restaurant style gravies.
In this method, baby potato is sautéed in less oil instead of deep frying to reduce the calories. Still it tasted great. Sendhil liked it very much. Raksha has gone to Salem ( to my in-laws house) for vacation. I must prepare this for her as soon as she comes to Bangalore. I am sure she will love it. Try this for your kids birthday parties. They will like it for sure. Lets see how to make Dum aloo at home with step by step pictures and a video !
Dum aloo recipe - Restaurant style Dum aloo recipe
How to make restaurant style Punjabi dum aloo recipe at home
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( Kashmiri chilli powder)
Dhania powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Crushed Kasoori methi - 1.5 tsp
Fresh curd – 1to 2 tbsp
Fresh cream - 1 tbsp ( I used Amul fresh cream)
To grind
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos ( small)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Green chilli - 1 no
Big onion - 1 no
Tomato - 2 nos
Cashew nuts or almonds – 6 to 10 nos
Ginger&Garlic paste – 1/2 to 1 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish ( I din’t use it)
HOW TO MAKE DUM ALOO
Wash and pressure cook baby potato in a cooker adding 2 cups of water. Cook for 2-3 whistles in low flame. It takes 15 minutes. In the mean time, lets prepare the masala for gravy.
Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a kadai. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds and green chilli for a minute. Add chopped onions and saute till transparent. Add ginger, garlic paste and saute for a minute.
Add chopped tomato, salt and saute till tomato turns pulpy. Add cashews, mix once and switch off the flame. Let the mixture cool down. Grind to a smooth paste adding enough water. Set aside.
Take the pressure cooked potato. Drain the excess water and peel the potato skin. Keep in a plate. Prick all over the potato with a fork. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a kadai. Shallow fry the potato till it turns golden in color and looks roasted. Remove in a plate.
In the remaining oil, splutter cumin seeds. Add ground tomato paste and saute for a minute. Add red chilli powder, dhania powder, sugar, garam masala powder and curd. Saute for a minute. Gravy will become thick and leaves the sides of pan. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water, mix well and check for taste. Add salt if needed.
Cover cook and boil till oil floats on top. Open the lid, mix the gravy and add 1/2 cup more water if needed. Now add the baby potato and mix well. Add fresh cream, crushed kasoori methi and mix well. Boil for a minute. Add water to adjust consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves. This gravy thickens when it cools down. So add more water whenever needed. Boil and serve hot with roti !
Enjoy !
Note
Add more red chilli powder if you want spicy gravy.
Originally baby potato should be deep fried in oil. But I shallow fried it to reduce the calorie.
You can use butter instead of cooking oil.
Adding fresh cream is optional. Skip if you don’t have it. But adding cream makes the gravy rich.
This gravy tastes the best if you give a standing time of 1 to 2 hours after preparation. So if you are making for birthday parties, make it in advance and reheat it adding some water.
Try this yummy, creamy dum aloo recipe at home & enjoy with chapathi/Naan/Kulcha !
In this post, I have shared how to make instant raw mango pickle recipe in 3 different ways from 3 different states. Yes, Its Andhra style mamidikaya menthi pachadi, Kerala style Nadan mango achar and Tamil nadu style mangai oorugai. Instant raw Mango pickle is a must to do recipe during mango season.It is our family favorite. I have already posted 2 recipes for instant mango pickle which is my mom’s version.
This time just for a change, I wanted to try 3 different styles of making South Indian mango pickle from various cuisines. I followed my mil’s method for Tamil nadu style, referred Sailu’s food for Andhra style & Mia kitchen for Kerala style recipe. All the 3 came out very well & finger licking good. Yesterday I relished a plateful of curd rice with these 3 pickles.
Preparation time, cooking time & Ingredients of this pickle are almost the same. But the method of making has slight variations.Each recipe has its own touch and style. Tamil nadu style raw mango pickle needs less ingredients when compared with Andhra & Kerala. It can be consumed immediately too. Of course I tasted Andhra & Kerala mango pickles immediately after making. Even though they tasted good, I felt they need a setting time of at least one day to know its best taste & flavor.
If you have one big raw mango in hand, you can prepare all these 3 pickle varieties in the next 10 minutes.Its that easy ! Soon I must try Karnataka & North Indian( Punjabi) style pickles too.Ok, lets see how to make Andhra, Kerala & Tamilnadu style Instant mango pickle/ raw mango pickle with step by step photos and a video !
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 2 tsp ( Add more based on sourness of mango)
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Crushed Garlic - 3 nos
Roasted methi powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Kerala style manga achar
Raw mango - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Red chilli powder – 1/2 to 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Garlic cloves - 2 nos ( finely chopped)
Ginger - 1/4 tsp ( Finely chopped)
Roasted methi powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds powder - 1 tsp
Asafetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Tamil nadu style mangai oorugai
Raw mango - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Asafetida/ hing - 1/8 tsp
Roasted methi seeds powder - 1/8 tsp
Salt - as needed
Sesame oil/ Gingely oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
HOW TO MAKE MANGO PICKLE - METHOD
PRE-PREPARATION : Wash and chop raw mango into small pieces. Pat dry in a towel. Make sure there is no moisture in mango pieces. Dry roast 1 tbsp methi seeds till golden brown & aromatic. Let it cool. Grind to a fine powder.Transfer to a bowl. Grind 1 tbsp mustard seeds to fine powder. Keep in a bowl. Wash and chop the raw mango finely.
ANDHRA MANGO PICKLE : In a wide bowl, take 1/2 cup chopped raw mango pieces.In Andhra style pickle, I saw few recipes in which the mango pieces were cut into bite sized pieces. But I chopped it finely. So cut the mango pieces as you wish.
Mix red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, mustard seeds powder, methi seeds powder and mix well and keep aside. Heat sesame oil in a kadai and add hing. Mix well and switch off the flame. Let the oil cool down. Then add the oil to the spiced mango pieces. Mix well, cover it . You can enjoy with curd rice or mix with plain rice and eat immediately OR mix well and set aside for a day. The next day oil would float on top. Mix well and use it. Refrigerate the leftover pickle in an air tight box. Use clean spoon to handle. It stays good for a week.
KERALA MANGO PICKLE : Take the chopped mango pieces and add salt. Mix well and keep aside for 1 hour. This step is optional. I din’t do it. Heat sesame oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds. Saute finely chopped ginger, garlic for a minute. Add curry leaves. Simmer the flame completely. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder,mustard powder, methi powder and mix well without burning the spices. Switch off the flame immediately.Add the chopped mango pieces and vinegar. Mix well in the residual heat and check for taste. Add more salt & chilli powder if needed. Let it cool down completely. Remove in a bowl and enjoy with rice.Store in an airtight box, refrigerate it. Use clean spoon to handle. Stays good for a week.
TAMIL NADU STYLE MANGO PICKLE : Take the chopped raw mango pieces in a bowl.Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, methi seeds powder and salt. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes.Check for taste and add more spice powders if needed. Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds. Add this oil to the mango pickle. Mix well and serve immediately. Stays good for a week.
All these pickles stays good for one week if stored & handled properly.Refrigerate it till use. Use clean spoon to handle. Tastes the best with curd rice & Dal rice !Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of spice powders according to the sourness of raw mango.
In Andhra style pickle, I saw few recipes in which the mango pieces were cut big in size. But I chopped it finely. So cut the mango pieces as you wish.
These pickles can be prepared well in advance if making for parties or guests. The more setting time, the tastier it would be.
Color of the pickle looks bright red in color only if you use Kashmiri chilli powder.
Try this easy, yummy instant mango pickles at home and enjoy with curd rice !
I learnt this Milagu podi for Idli from my MIL. Last time when I went to Salem, she kept this pepper idli podi as side dish for for idli, dosa. Basically Sendhil loves pepper flavored recipes a lot. So my MIL had prepared this pepper podi specially for her son. We loved it very much and I noted down the recipe immediately. As we all know pepper has amazing health benefits. South Indians include pepper in their food by making rasam, milagu kuzhambu & ven pongal.
Apart from these recipes, I feel this pepperidli podi is a great way to include pepper in our regular diet. The quantity of pepper consumption is more in this podi. It should be served by mixing with ghee or sesame oil. It tastes the best with hot idli & dosa. Do try this pepper idli podi for a change and reap the health benefits of pepper. Lets see how to make spicy pepper powder for idli and dosa with step by step pictures !
Check out my ellu podi/ Sesame seeds powder for idli, dosa. Its also an interesting & unique recipe .
Hing/ Asafetida - 2 pinches or garlic cloves - 2 nos
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil or sesame oil – 2 tsp
HOW TO MAKE PEPPER IDLI PODI - METHOD
Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and roast urad dal till golden. Remove in a plate. In the same oil, roast chana dal till golden. Add to the plate.
Add 1 tsp of oil to the kadai and add pepper corns & red chilli. Saute till pepper starts to crackle. Keep the flame medium and saute till most of the pepper corns crackle. Lastly add the hing, mix well and switch off the flame. Crackling helps to reduce the spiciness of pepper. So do it patiently without burning.
Add this to the dal plate. Let everything cool down. Add the required salt and grind to a fine powder. If adding garlic, chop it finely and add it while grinding.
Transfer the powder to an air tight box. Stays good for 2 weeks. After that the flavor of pepper gets reduced. Enjoy !
Note
I have shared the recipe for small quantity. Try this one if you are making for first time. If you like the taste, increase the quantity proportionately.
Do not add more red chilli. The flavor of pepper should be dominant in this recipe.
This podi tastes great when mixed with ghee. But we have it with sesame oil to reduce the calories.
This podi is suitable for idli, dosa, wheat flour dosa and ragi dosa. It doesn’t taste good with rice.
Enjoy this yummy idli podi with idli & dosa adding ghee or sesame oil !
Elai Vadam / Exhibition appalam – Rice papad / Arisi appalam made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much.
My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place. Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight.
With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture.
In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO !
Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)
HOW TO MAKE ILAI VADAM / RICE APPALAM - METHOD
Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches.
Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter.
Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates.
Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate. Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.
Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly. After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly.
Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !
Enjoy !
Note
The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick.
You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice.
Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes.
Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down.
If the vadam turns golden brown after frying, it may be due to the quality of rice. In that case, you can try adding few drops of lemon juice in the batter and make it next time.
Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !
Yesterday I prepared this South Indian style arisi payasam for Tamil new year celebration. We make this payasam mainly for Tamil new year ( Tamil Varusha pirappu/Tamil Puthandu) and Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Sometimes we prepare this sweet dish for Friday Mahalakhsmi pooja neivedyam too. Today I have shown the basic arisi payasam recipe/Rice kheer with jaggery and milk using a pressure cooker.
Arisi Paruppu payasam is our family favorite payasam variety. To prepare this Indian style rice kheer raw rice, moong dal, water, jaggery and milk are the major ingredients. Sometimes I use coconut milk instead of boiled milk if making for guest or special occasions. Adding coconut milk makes it more rich and flavorful. Whenever Sendhil gets stomach upset or stomach inflammation problem, I make this for his breakfast with less rice, more dal and coconut milk as both have healing property. I will make a separate post on it later.
In this recipe, I have used boiled milk. For variations, you can use coconut milk in place of regular milk by all means. Sometimes I prepare the same payasam adding condensed milk(milkmaid) or sugar instead of jaggery just like paal payasam. This kheer can be done easily. Try this yummy, healthy payasam for Tamil new year and enjoy ! You can also make arisi thengai payasam on Tamil new year. Now lets see how to make arisi paruppu payasam/Rice payasam with jaggery with step by step pictures and a video.
Arisi paruppu payasam recipe
Arisi paruppu payasam recipe - Rice moong dal payasam recipe
In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tsp of ghee. Roast the moong dal till dal becomes aromatic and golden brown.Remove in a plate. Add 1 tsp ghee and roast the rice. Roast till it turns puffy and white. Its optional to roast the rice. But roasted rice gives more flavor to the kheer. So the choice is yours.
After roasting the rice add 2.5 cups of water. Add the roasted dal and pressure cook in very low flame for 3 whistles till they cook mushy. Remove after the steam is released. Mash it really well.
Add grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water. Mix well in low flame until jaggery melts completely. ( If jaggery has impurities, you should boil separately and melt the jaggery in 1/2 cup water, filter it and then add the syrup to the cooked rice). After the jaggery is completely mixed with the rice, let it boil for sometime till raw smell of jaggery goes off. If needed, add 1/2 cup water while boiling. Add cardamom powder & mix well.
After the payasam becomes slightly thick, switch off the flame and add 1/2 cup boiled milk or thick coconut milk. Mix well and check for consistency. Add more milk if needed. Heat ghee in a small pan. Roast cashews, cloves and crushed mace till cashews become golden. Mix well and add to the payasam. Serve hot.
This rice kheer becomes very thick when it cools down.So you should add more milk, water or coconut milk to adjust the consistency, check for taste. Add more sugar or jaggery syrup if needed. Give a boil and serve hot.
Enjoy !
Note
Roasting rice is optional.But it gives a nice flavor to the payasam.
If you feel jaggery has impurities, you should mix it with 1/2 cup water. Boil and melt in medium flame. Once its melted completely, strain it through a metal filter. Then add this syrup to the cooked rice+dal mixture.
The quantity of milk depends on the desired consistency of payasam.
You can use 1/2 cup coconut milk instead of milk.
Add equal quantity of milk and coconut milk if you wish.
Adding cloves and small piece of mace gives a awesome flavor to the kheer. So do not skip it.
Try this yummy arisi paruppu payasam at your home for festivals and enjoy !
How to make restaurant style Punjabi dum aloo recipe at home 
