This Bengali Sada Aloor Dum, aka White Dum aloo is easy to cook and perfect for an SOS dinner. Easy to cook; a few easily available ingredients and voila! Did I mention this is a no onion, no garlic Dum Aloo Recipe?
Jump to:
- Niramish Alur Dum, not the regular one!
- Watch how to make Bengali Sada Alur Dom
- Bengali Sada Aloor Dum is not Kashmiri Aloo Dum!
- What makes Sada Aloo Dum different?
- Frequently Asked Questions about Bengali Sada Aloor Dum
- Recipe Card
- Pairing
- Easy Veg Recipes
- Have you tried the Bengali Sada Aloo'r Dum recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar?
- Here's the Bengali Dum Aloo with white gravy Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
Niramish Alur Dum, not the regular one!
Sada Aloor Dum used to be a treat at home mostly on Saturday nights. A no onion no garlic White dum aloo cooked in Bengali style is a bit different from our regular Bangali Alur Dum for sure. Maa used to cook this, especially during the marriage season, whenever we had to miss a Biye Bari treat. This particular Dum Aloo is a Bengali marriage feast special, especially as part of the vegetarian feast.
Mehebub, Pasta, and I don't usually crave vegetarian meals. We enjoy small tastes of different things, but a full vegetarian feast isn't our usual preference-unless my or Mehebub's parents are visiting. My parents were here last week, and they like simple vegetarian dishes at least twice a week, especially on Saturdays. Naturally, I was cooking a lot of vegetarian food (mostly without onion and garlic). While I was cooking, my father asked me to make Sada Aloor Dum. It then occurred to me that I hadn't shared this easy recipe here yet!
Watch how to make Bengali Sada Alur Dom
Bengali Sada Aloor Dum is not Kashmiri Aloo Dum!
The tale of how Kashmiri Aloor Dum ended up at a Bengali feast is quite funny, and I'll share it another time. For now, it's important to know that even though they might look similar, Bengali Niramish Sada Aloor Dum and the Bengali take on Kashmiri Aloor Dum are actually distinct dishes.
What truly sets this White Dum Aloo apart is its unique gravy. My mother's recipe involves a blend of white sesame seeds, cashews, and hung curd to achieve that signature creamy white color. Spices are used sparingly, and of course, boiled potatoes are essential! This simple, onion and garlic-free version is a delicious twist on the classic.
What makes Sada Aloo Dum different?
Well, the gravy makes it different. I have seen maa using a mixture of Til aka White Sesame seed, Cashewnut, and also hung curd while making White Dum Aloo. Very limited use of spices to make the gravy white and last but not least boiled potatoes. A simple no onion no garlic dum aloo with a nice white color makes it different.
Following my mother's recipe, I skip tomatoes, onions, and garlic altogether. Instead, I create the base with sesame seeds, cashews, and green chilies, enriched with hung curd, asafoetida, ginger paste, a touch of ghee, and a hint of Bengali garam masala.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bengali Sada Aloor Dum
No. I use normal potatoes as well as baby potatoes based on availability.
Onion and garlic are optional. I have grown up eating the no onion no garlic version, and I prefer it without the flavors of onion and garlic.
For sure you can. Skip any ingredient you are not allowed to it.
Feel free to experiment! You can substitute the cashews with almonds or melon seeds (magaz), but I find the cashews provide the most satisfying flavor.
No tomatoes! They'll turn the gravy reddish, and we're aiming for a beautiful white. If needed, use curd or yogurt, or even a mix of coconut milk and tamarind paste to maintain that desired color.
Recipe Card
Sada Aloor Dum | White Dum Aloo Bengali style
Equipment
- 1 Kadhai
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Peeler
- 3-4 Bowls
Ingredients
- 500 g Potatoes 10 potatoes
- 2 Tbsp. Ginger Paste
- 2 Green Chillies
- 4 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil any unflavored oil
- 1 Tbsp. Ghee
- 2 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tsp. Sugar
- 1 tsp. White Pepper Powder
- ½ Tsp. Black Pepper Powder
- 1 Tsp. Bengali Garam Masala
- 150 ml Hung Curd or Plain Yogurt
To make the paste
- 25 g Sesame Seed Til
- 25 g Cashew nuts
- 25 g Poppyseed Posto
- 2 Green Chillies
Tempering
- ½ Tsp. Asafoetida Hing
- 2 Black Cardamom
- 3 Bay leafs
- 2 inches Cinnamon stick
Instructions
Boiling the Potatoes for Dum aloo
- If using medium size potatoes cut those into halves; if using big potatoes, cut those into 4 pieces each and if using baby potatoes do not cut those.
- Do not peel the skin of the potatoes however wash those properly.
- Take potatoes along with ½ Tsp. salt in a pressure cooker and cook on medium flame till the pressure cooker releases pressure two times (two whistles).
- Open the lid once the pressure drops completely.
- Discard the water and soak the potatoes in water at room temperature for a while.
- Peel the skin and discard those.
- Use a fork and prick on the potatoes.
Making paste for white gravy
- Make this paste while you are boiling the potatoes.
- Soak Sesame seed, Poppyseed, and Cashew nuts in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Discard the water and along with 2 green chilies make a smooth paste of the seeds and nuts.
- You can increase the number of chilies if you wish.
Making Sada Aloo'r Dum
- Now heat vegetable oil in a pan.
- Temper the oil with Asafoetida, bay leaves, black cardamom, and also cinnamon sticks.
- Once the spices emit aroma add the white paste and keep cooking on low flame for 5 minutes.
- Stir continuously.
- After 5 minutes add ginger paste and mix well.
- At this point add two green chilies (or more).
- Cook till the raw aroma of the seeds and nuts is not there completely. This should take 2 more minutes.
- Now add hung curd or plain yogurt and mix again.
- Cook for 3 minutes on low flame.
- Now add Salt, Sugar, and also white pepper powder.
- Cook for a few minutes. The oil will start floating on the top.
- Mix well and add 2 cups of water.
- Add boiled potatoes and cover with a lid.
- Cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
- Once done, add Ghee and Bengali Garam masala as well and mix lightly.
- Serve it hot with Roti/ Paratha/ Luchi/ Poori.
Video
Notes
- The Aloo'r Dum should have white color and hence do not fry the spices much to keep the color.
- I do not like adding extra spices while cooking this. I skip Garlic as well. This should be subtle and creamy.
- Instead of Cashew nuts, you can use Melon seed however, Kaju bata makes it more flavorful.
- You can add 1 Tbsp. Tamarind Pulp for extra tanginess which I skipped.
Nutrition
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sada Alu'r Dum:
Easy Veg Recipes
- Narkel Doodh Pulao (also known as Bengali coconut milk pulao)
- Bengali Veg Daal | Picnic Special Vegetable Daal | Shobji Diye Moong Dal | Yellow Split Pea cooked with Veggies
- Mochar Ghonto Narkel ar Bhaja Bori diye (also known as Bengali Banana Blossom Curry)
- Labra (also known as Bengali Labra Tarkari)
- Begun Pora
- Chanar Dalna (also known as Bengali Cottage Cheese and Potato Curry)
- Paneer er Dalna (also known as Niramish Paneer Er Torkari)
- Lau Shaker Chorchori (also known as Bengali Vegetarian Mishmash with Bottle Gourd Greens)
- Pat Shaker Jhol (also known as Pat Patar Jhol)
- Palong Shaker Ghonto
- Shukto a Bengali delicacy (also known as Bengali Mix-veg Shukto Recipe)
- Masoor Dal Bhorta
- Phulkopir Singara (also known as Kolkata style Fulkopir Shingara)
- Phulkopir Roast (also known as Bengali Roasted Cauliflower)
Have you tried the Bengali Sada Aloo'r Dum recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar?
Please inform me of your experience and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Here's the Bengali Dum Aloo with white gravy Recipe Pin for your Pinterest Board!
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
Sagarik Ghosh says
Very easy and tasty