Dum ki arbi recipe with step by step pics. dum arbi is a rich and delicious dish made with colocasia roots. Making dum arbi is similar to Making dum aloo. the recipe I have shared is an Awadhi recipe and is very different from the Kashmiri version of dum ki arbi.
Making dum ki arbi takes some time. the arbi is cooked first and then fried. You can even directly fry the arbi. The gravy is made and then the fried arbi is added. The pot or pan is tightly sealed and the entire dish is cooked in its own steam. Food cooked using the dum technqiue has a totally different flavor and taste.
For the recipe I referred to a couple of cook books. This dum ki arbi recipe has a restaurant style taste and you will really relish it with some naan or tandoori roti or roomali roti or khasta roti or even a phulka.
I have separately fried onions and then added to the gravy just before cooking. But you can fry the onions when you begin preparing the gravy.
Few more tasty Curry recipes for you!
Please be sure to rate this recipe in the recipe card below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Dum ki Arbi
Ingredients
for cooking arbi
- 250 grams arbi (colocasia roots)
- 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking
- ½ teaspoon salt
for frying arbi
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
for spice powder
- 1 black cardamom - outer husk removed
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- ½ teaspoon shah jeera
for onion paste
- 1 medium onion - roughly chopped or ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water or add as required
for frying onions (birista)
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 1 medium onion - thinly sliced or ½ cup thinly sliced onions
for dum arbi gravy
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup full fat curd - beaten
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 cup water
- salt as required
Instructions
cooking arbi
- Rinse 250 grams arbi (colocasia roots) very well in water. Scrub off the mud with a brush and rinse them well. Place the rinsed arbi in a pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon salt.
- Pour 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking.
- Pressure cook for 1 whistle or 5 to 6 minutes on medium to medium-high flame.
- When pressure falls naturally on its own, remove lid. Drain all water and let the arbi cool completely.
- Peel and then slightly flatten and press each arbi. If the arbi is large, then you can halve them in two pieces.
- With a fork, poke holes on the flattened arbi. Keep aside.
making spice powder
- When the arbi is getting cooked in the pressure cooker, you can do the remaining preparation. Take the following spices in a spice grinder or a small dry grinder jar – 1 black cardamom (husk removed and seeds kept), 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta and ½ teaspoon shahi jeera.
- Grind to semi fine or fine powder. Remove this powder in small bowl and keep aside.
- In the same jar, add ½ cup roughly chopped onion, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon chopped ginger.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
for frying arbi
- On a medium flame heat 2 tablespoons mustard oil. When the mustard oil begins to smoke, reduce the flame. Then add the arbi pieces. Fry on medium-low to medium flame. You can also use any other oil instead of mustard oil.
- When lightly golden turn over each piece.
- Continue to fry the second side.
- Flip a couple of times and fry the arbi pieces till crisp and golden. Fry the arbi in batches. You can even deep fry arbi if you want. The outer coating of fried arbi should be crisp and golden.
- Place the fried arbi on kitchen paper towels. Keep aside.
frying onions (making birista)
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoon ghee in a small pan. Sunflower oil can be used instead of ghee. Add ½ cup thinly sliced onions.
- Stirring often begin to fry the onions.
- Fry onions till they turn golden. Keep this entire mixture of the fried onions with the ghee aside.
making dum arbi gravy
- Beat ¼ cup full fat curd till smooth. Keep aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. Sunflower oil can be used instead of ghee. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Then add the ground onion paste. Mix well and begin to sauté on a medium-low flame.
- Stirring often sauté the paste till its becomes thick and you see ghee releasing from the sides. The color of the onion paste has to change.
- Now switch off the flame and add the beaten curd.
- As soon as you add curd, mix it briskly with the onion paste. Mix very well.
- Then keep the pan back on the stove top and begin to sauté on a low to medium-low flame.
- Stir non-stop when cooking curd and onion mixture.
- Sauté till you see ghee releasing at the sides and on the top.
- Add the ground spice powder.
- Then add the following spice powders – ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder.
- Mix very well. Continue to sauté the masala.
- Sauté till the masala thickens and you can clearly see ghee from the sides.
- Add 1 cup water and mix very well. 1 cup water gives a thick gravy. For a medium consistency or a slightly thinner gravy you can add 1.5 to 2 cups water.
- Season with salt as per taste. Add the fried arbi pieces.
- Now add the fried onion mixture along with the residue ghee in which the onions were fried. Reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons fried onions for garnish.
- Mix very well. Cover the pan with a moist kitchen towel. Then cover tightly with a lid.
- Wrap the moist kitchen towel on top of the lid if its big in size. Dum cook on a low flame for 12 to 14 minutes. Then switch off flame.
- Wait for 5 to 6 minutes and then open the lid.
- Serve dum ki arbi hot with any indian flat bread of your choice. while serving garnish dum arbi gravy with the fried onions that were kept aside.
Notes
- Arbi can also be cooked in pan or pot for 15 to 20 minutes. Just cook till it’s done. Do not overcook or make them mushy.
Nutrition Info (Approximate values)
How to make Awadhi dum ki arbi recipe
A) cooking arbi:
1. Rinse 250 grams arbi (colocasia roots) very well in water. Scrub off the mud with a brush and rinse them well. Place the rinsed arbi in a pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Arbi can also be cooked in pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Just cook till it’s done. Do not overcook or make them mushy.
2. Pour 1.5 cups water for pressure cooking.
3. Pressure cook for 1 whistle or 5 to 6 minutes on medium to medium-high flame.
4. When pressure falls naturally on its own, remove lid. Drain all water and let the arbi cool completely.
5. Peel and then slightly flatten and press each arbi. If the arbi is large, then you can halve them in two pieces.
6. With a fork, poke holes on the flattened arbi. Keep aside.
B) making spice powder:
7. When the arbi is getting cooked in the pressure cooker, you can do the remaining preparation. Take the following spices in a spice grinder or a small dry grinder jar – 1 black cardamom (husk removed and seeds kept), 4 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 small to medium tej patta and ½ teaspoon shahi jeera.
8. Grind to semi fine or fine powder. Remove this powder in small bowl and keep aside.
9. In the same jar, add ½ cup roughly chopped onion, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon chopped ginger.
10. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Frying arbi for making dum ki arbi
11. On a medium flame heat 2 tablespoons mustard oil. When the mustard oil begins to smoke, reduce the flame. Then add the arbi pieces. Fry on medium-low to medium flame. You can also use any other oil instead of mustard oil.
12. When lightly golden turn over each piece.
13. Continue to fry the second side.
14. Flip a couple of times and fry the arbi pieces till crisp and golden. Fry the arbi in batches. You can even deep fry arbi if you want. The outer coating of fried arbi should be crisp and golden.
15. Place the fried arbi on kitchen paper towels. Keep aside.
C) frying onions (making birista):
16. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoon ghee in a small pan. Sunflower oil can be used instead of ghee. Add ½ cup thinly sliced onions.
17. Stirring often begin to fry the onions.
19 fry onions till they turn golden. Keep this entire mixture of the fried onions with the ghee aside.
20. Beat ¼ cup full fat curd till smooth. Keep aside.
Making dum ki arbi
21. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a pan. sunflower oil can be used instead of ghee. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
22. Then add the ground onion paste.
23. Mix well and begin to sauté on a medium-low flame.
24. Stirring often sauté the paste till its becomes thick and you see ghee releasing from the sides. The color of the onion paste has to change.
25. Now switch off the flame and add the beaten curd.
26. As soon as you add curd, mix it briskly with the onion paste. Mix very well.
27. Then keep the pan back on the stove top and begin to sauté on a low to medium-low flame.
28. Stir non-stop when cooking curd and onion mixture.
29. Sauté till you see ghee releasing at the sides and on the top.
30. Add the ground spice powder.
31. Then add the following spice powders – ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder and ½ teaspoon coriander powder.
32. Mix very well.
33. Continue to sauté the masala.
34. Sauté till the masala thickens and you can clearly see ghee from the sides.
35. add 1 cup water and mix very well. 1 cup water gives a thick gravy. For a medium consistency or a slightly thinner gravy you can add 1.5 to 2 cups water.
36. Season with salt as per taste.
37. Add the fried arbi pieces.
38. Now add the fried onion mixture along with the residue ghee in which the onions were fried. Reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons fried onions for garnish.
39. Mix very well.
40. Cover the pan with a moist kitchen towel.
41. Cover tightly with a lid.
42. Wrap the moist kitchen towel on top of the lid if its big in size. Dum cook on a low flame for 12 to 14 minutes. Then switch off flame.
43. Wait for 5 to 6 minutes and then open the lid.
44. Serve dum ki arbi hot with any Indian flat bread of your choice like naan or rumali roti or plain paratha or rotis. While serving garnish dum arbi gravy with the fried onions that were kept aside.
It was awesome. Must try !!
Thank you.
Hey dear,
I cooked Dum Arbi by your recipe. It is my first time with Arbi. I really don’t like Arbi at all but today I just rocked. It was extremely delicious and tempting. I can’t believe Arbi can taste this good. Thank you so much. Keep going and keep shining 😊
Thank you for the super feedback on dum arbi. I am glad that you liked the recipes. Welcome and Happy Cooking.