1 or 2tablespooncoriander leaves for garnishing(cilantro leaves)
Instructions
preparation
Rinse the baby potatoes and wipe them dry.
Keep the peel on. Halve or quarter them if big in size or keep them whole.
Shallow or deep fry in medium hot oil till they are golden browned and completely cooked.
Grind the soaked cashew to a smooth paste.
Grind the onions, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Also blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree.
making vegan dum aloo
Heat 2 to 3 tbsp oil. Add the black cardamom and cinnamon.
Fry till the oil becomes fragrant and then add the onion-ginger-garlic paste.
On a low flame fry the paste till it becomes golden brown and the oil separates.
This takes about 9-10 minutes.
Add the tomato puree to the browned paste and stir.
After 3-4 minutes, add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, fennel powder one by one.
Stir again and fry till the oil separates. Takes about 10-12 minutes.
Now add the cashew paste and yogurt (if you are going to use yogurt, at this stage).
Again fry the masala paste till the oil separates. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
Now add approx 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Bring the gravy to a boil.
Add fried potatoes and simmer for some 4-5 minutes till the gravy thickens.
Lastly add lemon juice (if you are going to use this, at this stage). Add salt. Mix well.
Garnish with some chopped coriander leaves.
Serve vegan dum aloo hot with rotis or steamed basmati rice.
Notes
As a substitute for yogurt (curd or dahi), I have used lemon juice. However, the gravy would equally taste good with dairy yogurt or a vegan yogurt. In the recipe details, I have mentioned at which step the yogurt needs to be added.
In this recipe either use yogurt or lemon juice. Don't add both.