Dum aloo with chickpeas

Dum aloo with chickpeas is a rich and fragrantly spiced Kashmiri dish made with small potatoes, spices and chickpeas. It is simple to prepare and packed full of healthy goodness.

I add garam masala to this recipe as it is one of my favourite spice mixtures. Omit if you prefer. Dum aloo with chickpeas is one of my staple favourites as it is so healthy, tasty and easy to prepare. I have added a few extras to the ingredients to suit my tastes and boost the goodness value of it. It keeps very well in the fridge, so can be bulk-cooked for future meals. I haven’t tried to freeze it so can’t comment on how well it freezes.

Despite the long list of ingredients, it is extremely simple to prepare. Asafoetida is entirely optional. It is used in many spicy dishes particularly those which include pulses and beans as it helps with digestion. If you don’t have it in your larder, you can leave it out.

Dum aloo with chickpeas can be cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker.

Ingredients for Dum Aloo with Chickpeas

Serves 4

1 tbsp coconut oil, butter or ghee

1 large onion, chopped

4 large chopped tomatoes or handful of cherry tomatoes

1 leek, washed and sliced

1 tsp cumin

4 green cardamom pods, crushed

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp ground cinnamon powder or half a cinnamon stick

1 tsp tumeric

2 strands of saffron

Pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp asafoetida (optional)

1 inch of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves

400g can of chopped tomatoes

Good squeeze of tomato paste

100ml water (whoosh it round the emptied can of tomatoes)

500g new potatoes, washed, halved and pricked all over with a fork

400g pre-soaked chickpeas, or 400g can of chickpeas

3 large handfuls fresh spinach

Coriander leaves freshly chopped

Salt and pepper

Serve with naan bread

How to cook dum aloo with chickpeas

To cook on the stove:

Use a large frying pan and melt the butter/ghee or coconut oil.

Add the chopped onion and diced leek and fry for 5 minutes on a gentle heat until they start to brown.

Add all the spices and fry for 20 seconds to release the flavours, then add the tinned tomatoes, water and tomato paste. Combine well.

Bring to the boil then add the potatoes, chickpeas and quartered tomatoes. Make sure to coat the potatoes in the gravy. Cover the pan and simmer for approximately half an hour (or until the potatoes have softened).

Just before you are ready to serve up, add the fresh spinach and coriander and combine well.

To cook in the slow cooker:

I cook on the high setting on my slow cooker. It’s a simple as adding all the ingredients and add the spinach and coriander a few minutes before serving up.

As I don’t pre-fry or pre-boil anything you will not need the butter/ghee or coconut oil. It always turns out delicious.

Cook on a high setting for approximately 5 hours, stirring occasionally if possible.