The Curry Guy's Dum Aloo

• 5–6 medium roasting potatoes, peeled
• 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil, plus extra for deep-frying
• 8–12 dried Kashmiri chillies, soaked in 250ml (1 cup) water for 30 mins
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala
• 1⁄2 tsp ground ginger (optional)
• 250g (1 cup) natural plain yoghurt
• 2.5cm (1in) cinnamon stick
• 1⁄2 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tsp chilli powder, plus more to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1⁄2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 1⁄2 tsp garam masala
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Method 

1. Par-cook the whole potatoes in boiling water until about 80% cooked through – about 15–20 minutes. They should be soft enough to easily stick a fork in but hard enough that you wouldn’t want to start eating.
2. For deep-frying, heat about 10cm (4in) of rapeseed oil – enough to cover the potatoes. When hot (if you have an oil thermometer, aim for 190°C/375°F), carefully place the par-cooked potatoes in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes, until crispy and brown. Set aside.
3. Now pour your soaked chillies and the soaking water into a blender and add the tandoori masala and ground ginger, if using and blend until smooth. Stir this into the yoghurt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. To cook the curry, heat the 2 tablespoons of rapeseed (canola) oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium–high heat. Stir in the cinnamon stick, asafoetida, chilli powder, bay leaf, cardamom pods, fennel seeds turmeric, cloves, cumin and coriander and fry it all, stirring continuously, for about 1 minute.
5. Now pour in the yoghurt mixture and whisk. The oil will rise to the top as it is added, so you need to whisk briskly to emulsify it into the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium.
6. Once you’ve achieved a smooth red emulsified sauce, add salt to taste and try it. I usually add more chilli powder at this point too as the potatoes can stand up to a spicier sauce.
7. In go the fried potatoes! Stir them into the sauce, then cover the pan to simmer for about 10 minutes. It’s really hard to over-cook a potato so just let them simmer in the sauce and become fall-apart gorgeous. Cooked to perfection, you should be able to cut into them with a fork and take a sneaky bite or two. Just don’t rush things. Your curry is ready when the potatoes are super soft and the sauce has thickened.
8. Check for seasoning.
9. Serve with chopped coriander, a squeeze of lemon juice and your choice of naan or rice. 

This recipe has been shared from Dan's cookery book, The Curry Guy (Veggie). Check it out here.