Dum Aloo (Bengali Style)

1. Take baby potatoes. If you do not get baby potatoes, use medium / small potatoes. In case you are using the later, slit them partially, else for baby potatoes take the whole ones (with skin), and pressure cook them in salt water. It should not be boiled to perfection and keep it a little hard. Peel off the skin and take them in a bowl. Add a little turmeric powder and salt and mix.
2. Take onions and thinly slice them and keep aside.
3. Take one large tomato and chop them and keep aside.
4. Take a inch of ginger and 5-6 cloves of garlic and crush them with a pestle.
5. Chop fresh coriander leaves and keep aside for garnishing.
6. Take a fistful of green peas and blanch them (boil water and salt and once boiling, remove from fire and add the peas)
7. In a bowl, take the following spices - red chilli powder, garam masala powder (little cinnamon, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, mace: roasted and ground), turmeric powder, a little sugar, salt. Take 2 tbsp curd (plain yogurt) and mix all the ingredients well. An interesting alternative is to add 2 tsp of ready made meat masala [I prefer the brands Mother's Recipe & Everest (in order of preference)]
8. Take 2 - 3 tbsp of oil in a large pan (I prefer to do it in mustard oil. You may use while oil as well). Once oil heats up, add the potatoes and sautee them well. Remove from pan and keep aside.
9. Add oil to the fire. Once oil heats up, lower the fire, add a tsp of sugar and allow it to turn brown. Add the tomatoes and fry well till all brown. Add the crushed ginger / garlic, fry for a minute and add the onions. Once the onions are fried light brown and soft, add the spice paste and mix well. After a little time, you will see it drying up. Add a very little dash of water and again leave it to cook. (If you like it a little hot, add one or two green chillies broken into 2 at this point). You may repeat this once more. This basically matures the flavours and makes it taste better. Once you see oil coming up on the sides, add the potatoes and the peas.
10. Allow it to cook for about 4-5 mins. Add water to about 10-15% more than the required gravy and allow it to boil till you are left with a little thick gravy. This boiling basically allows all the flavours to go into the potatoes.
11. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves & green chillies.