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Asma Khan’s aloo dum

Name: Asma Khan’s aloo dum
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian recipes
Ingredients: 500g small new potatoes; 2 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 5 Indian bay (cassia) leaves (see Know-how); 1 tsp ginger paste; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp sugar (any type); 2 tbsp natural yogurt; 1½ tsp salt; Pinch asafoetida; ½ tsp garam masala

By: Asma Khan

Published: 5 Mar 25
Updated: 6 Mar 25

Celebrated chef Asma Khan shares her recipe for perfect aloo dum. Serve these spiced new potatoes alongside your favourite Indian dishes, or to accompany Asma’s first-class railway curry.

Asma says:” Aloo dum and lutchi (or luchi, a puffy deep-fried flatbread) is a classic Bengali combination, served everywhere from street carts in the heart of Calcutta’s commercial district to Sunday brunch at home. It’s classic comfort food. Versions of this kind of potato dish with a thick sauce exist from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (the southern tip of India). The small potatoes with their thick, clingy sauce make the perfect accompaniment for any meal. My perfect partnering would be with choler dal (chana dal), which is also a combination served at traditional Bengali wedding banquet.”

One of the UK’s most high-profile female restaurateurs, Asma was brought up in Kolkata, India. She came to the UK in 1991 and studied law in London. After obtaining a PhD in 2012, Asma started a supper club in her home before moving it into a Soho pub. Its success led, in 2017, to the opening of her acclaimed restaurant, Darjeeling Express, in Soho, where she led an all-female team of home cooks, mostly immigrants. She was the first UK chef to be profiled on the hit Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table. These recipes are from her third cookery book, Monsoon (DK £26).

Easy
March 2025

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Prep time 10 min. Cook time 25 min

Celebrated chef Asma Khan shares her recipe for perfect aloo dum. Serve these spiced new potatoes alongside your favourite Indian dishes, or to accompany Asma’s first-class railway curry.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 173kcals
Fat: 7.6g (4.6g saturated)
Protein: 3.5g
Carbohydrates: 21g (4.6g sugars)
Fibre: 2.3g
Salt: 1.8g

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Ingredients

500g small new potatoes
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 Indian bay (cassia) leaves (see Know-how)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sugar (any type)
2 tbsp natural yogurt
1½ tsp salt
Pinch asafoetida
½ tsp garam masala

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Method

Boil the potatoes in their skins for 8 minutes, then cool a little before removing the skins. Typically, in Indian cooking we skin the potatoes after cooking to stop them absorbing too much water.
Pan-fry the potatoes in the ghee over a medium heat, along with the cumin seeds and bay leaves, until the potatoes are golden brown and the spices are aromatic. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Add the ginger paste, chilli powder, turmeric, sugar and yogurt to a separate bowl and stir to combine, then add to the potatoes. Stir in the salt and 120ml water, then stir in the asafoetida and garam masala.