Kashmiri Dum Aloo

To go with my Kashmiri Rotis and Saffron rice, I made this Kashmiri Dum Aloo. This curry is so delicious with stuffed potatoes that is served with a spicy, creamy gravy.

I already have another Kashmiri Dum Aloo recipe on the blog, but this recipe is quite different from that one because here the potatoes are stuffed with paneer and unsweetened khoya. I replaced khoya with ricotta cheese because I didn't have khoya on hand and strained ricotta worked like a charm.
If there's one thing I didn't really like about the dish is deep frying the potatoes. I was short on time so didn't really think much about alternated to deep frying. I want to bake them the next time I make this dish. Let me know if any of you have tried baking potatoes in this type of Indian preparations.
As you can see from the long ingredient list, this recipe is quite involved and needs quite a bit of time to prepare too. So don't plan this dish when you are short of time, but try it at leisure when you are planning to impress your guests.

Recipe adapted from here and here.

Ingredients:

For the Potatoes:

Potatoes - 3 medium, halved

Paneer - ½cup, grated

Ricotta Cheese - 2tbsp, strained (substitute with unsweetened khoya)

Kasoori Methi - 1tsp

Red Chili powder - ½tsp

Garam Masala - ½tsp

Cashews & Raisins - 2tsp each, chopped

Salt - to taste

For the Gravy:

Onion - 1 large

Ginger+garlic paste - 1tsp

Green Chilies - 2

Cashews - 8~10

Poppy Seeds - 1tsp

Tomato puree - 1cup

Cream - 2~3tbsp

Kasoori methi - 1tsp

Kashmiri red chili - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

For Spice powder:

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Shah jeera - ½tsp

Cardamom pods - 2

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1" piece

Bay leaf - 1

Fennel Seeds - 1tsp

Whole dry red chilies - 2

Coriander seeds - 1tsp

Method:

• Prepare the Potatoes: Deep fry the potatoes until fork tender. Adjust the flame to make sure that the potatoes don't change color. Remove onto a paper lined plate and coo;l.
• In a small bowl, combine paneer, ricotta (or khoya), chili powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, salt, cashews and raisins. Mix well and divide into 6 equal size balls.
• Once cool enough to handle, gently scoop out the centers of the potatoes and stuff them with the stuffing. Keep ready.
• Make the Spice powder: Dry roast the spices until fragrant. Grind into a powder and set aside.
• Make the Gravy: Grind the onions along with green chilies.
• Soak cashews and poppy seeds in warm water for 30minutes. Grind to a smooth paste.
• Heat 1tbsp oil+2tsp ghee in a pan; add the onion paste and ginger+garlic paste and fry until pink. 
• Add the cashew+poppy seed paste and cook for 2 minutes.
• Next add the tomato puree and cook till oil starts to come out around the edges.
• Add the ground spices and mix well. Add water to get the desired consistency. Cook on low flame until the curry is thick.
• To Assemble: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the stuffed potatoes in a oven safe baking dish and pour the gravy on top. Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot with Kashmiri roti or any roti or rice dish.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56.