Dum Aloo - Baby Potatoes in a spicy gravy!

Directions

1. In a deep dish with water, add about a tsp of salt and boil the un-peeled potatoes for about 10 to 12 mins. Drain all the water and peel the potatoes now. (The skin should come off easily now.)
2. In another dish or skillet, heat about 2 tsps of oil. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and split-open cardamom pods. Saute for a couple of minutes. Now, add chopped onions and green chillies. Saute well for atleast 6 to 8 mins until the onions are translucent or palely brown. Now, add the spices – turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt. Saute for a couple of minutes.
3. At this time, chop/dice the tomatoes and add to the onion mixture. Let cook until the onions are soft and tender. Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool for at-least 5 mins.
4. In the meanwhile, take a pan and add about a tsp of oil and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add the potatoes and fry for a few minutes to get a nice golden color on the potatoes. You could also skip this step and instead follow the traditional method of deep frying the potatoes.
5. In a blender, take the onion-tomato mixture (be sure to leave out the cinnamon stick if it’s too hard for the blender) and blend into a smooth mixture. Add about 1/2 cup water and 3 heaped tsps of yogurt. Further blend for a minute or so. Empty the gravy back into the skillet.
6. Add, the fried baby potatoes to the gravy skillet. Cover with a air-tight lid or place a lid and seal off the gaps with some dough. Let the potatoes further cook in the gravy to take in all the flavors of the gravy. Kepp the stove on low-medium heat and let it simmer for 8 to 10 mins.
7. Remove the lid, check for salt and adjust if needed. Turn off the stove and empty the curry into a serving dish.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve this mouth-watering dish along side rotis (like I did), parathas or pulav.