Potato or Dum Aloo Biryani, is a one-pot dish that is delicious, aromatic, and flavorful. Prepared using basmati rice, baby potatoes, and spices, this biryani itself has a rich and diverse history, with various regional variations and adaptations over the years. Dum aloo, on the other hand, is a popular North Indian dish that typically involves slow-cooking potatoes in a flavorful gravy.
With our Dum Aloo Biryani Recipe, create a fusion of Dum Aloo with Biryani that brings together the aromatic flavors of Biryani with the deliciousness of Dum Aloo.
Dum Aloo Biryani Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 cup onions thinly sliced
- 2 slit green chilies
- 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 8 strands saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp oil or ghee
Whole Spices for Gravy
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- ½ teaspoon shahi jeera
- 1-star anise
Marination
- 400 gms potatoes (diced to 1 inch or baby potatoes)
- ¾ cup yogurt (dahi)
- ½ tbsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tbsp ginger garlic paste
- ½- ¾ tbsp biryani masala
- ⅓ tsp salt
For Rice Preparation
- 1 tsp oil optional
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 green cardamoms
- ¼ tsp shahi jeera
- ¾ tsp salt
Instructions to Make Dum Aloo Gravy
- In a pan, heat 3 tbsp of ghee or oil and fry the potatoes until they are fully cooked, which should take approximately 10 minutes. Once done, set these perfectly cooked potatoes aside. Alternatively, you can use parboiled potatoes for this step.
- Following this, in the same pan, fry the onions until they achieve a rich golden brown color, resembling birista. Set these fried onions aside.
- For the marinade, take a mixing bowl and pour in ¾ cup of curd. To this, add red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, half of the fried onions, salt, and biryani masala. Thoroughly mix these ingredients, ensuring a well-balanced blend of flavors. Check the spice and salt levels, adjusting them if needed.
- Now, add the cooked or fried potatoes into the marinade, ensuring they are well coated. Allow the marination to set for a minimum of 30 minutes or until the rice is ready.
Steps to Make Dum Aloo Biryani
- Wash and soak Barkat Magic Rice for 20-30 minutes.
- In a separate pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, adding bay leaf, shahi jeera, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and oil. Once the water is boiling, immediately add the soaked rice. Cook the rice until it is al dente or 90% cooked. Drain the rice using a colander and set it aside for further use.
- In the biryani pan, add ghee, utilizing the same ghee that was used for frying the onions. Introduce green chilies, bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, shahi jeera, and star anise to infuse the aromatic base.
- As the spices splutter, add the marinated potatoes along with yogurt. Cook until the oil begins to separate, and the potatoes attain a tender, yet firm texture. The desired outcome is a thick and flavorful gravy. Reduce the heat.
- Simultaneously, on another burner, heat a tawa in preparation for the dum process.
- Sprinkle a layer of coriander and mint leaves over the cooked potato mixture. Follow this with an even layer of rice, the remaining fried onions, another round of coriander and mint leaves, and a generous pouring of saffron milk evenly across the biryani.
- Seal the rim of the pan tightly with an airtight lid or foil to trap the steam inside.
- Transfer the potato biryani pot to the preheated tawa. Allow it to cook for 10–12 minutes over medium to low flames. Turn off the stove and let the pan remain covered for an additional 10–20 minutes to enhance the flavors.
- Serve this delicious biryani with a side of vegetable raita for a delightful culinary experience.
Notes for Dum Aloo Biryani
- Use long-grain, aged basmati rice, such as Barkat basmati rice for better biryani. Other variations of rice are not recommended.
- Always use a heavy-bottomed pot to prepare dum biryani, or else there is a high risk of the biryani getting stuck and burning at the bottom.
- Do not skip to fry or parboil the potatoes before adding them to the marinade. This ensures that the potatoes are not undercooked.
- Biryani, when prepared with ghee, enhances the aroma of the dish.