Indian Kashmiri Dum Aloo is a mildly spiced potato curry, tomato based,cooked with spices and yoghurt.
It is not as spicy as it looks.  The curry has the Indian spices, yoghurt  and gorgeous lush red colour from tomato paste.
 In Indian homes, a curry is for dinner, no matter how hot the tempreture.
According to the elders, spices in a curry help fight stress, calm you down, and make you feel good even on a hot summer day.  Some spices are cooling and are preferred on summer days.
Cooling spices are:  cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, green cardamom.  So in summer we have cardamom tea, yoghurt based curries li ke dum aloo, or cumin(jeera) lassi or fennel ice cream.
Warming spices are:  Cinnamon, black cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, star anise, bay leaves, curry leaves, mace etc.

Ingredients

• 10-12            small potatoes peeled and cut in half
• 1                   cup yoghurt (if using Greek yoghurt add 1/4 cup water)
• 3-4                tbsp cilantro(to garnish)
• 1/4                cup tomato paste
• 1-2                white onion(about 1 cup finely chopped)
• 1                   tsp chopped garlic
• 1                   tsp chopped ginger
• 4                   tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2                tsp salt
• 1                   tsp mild paprika or
• 1/4                tsp cayenne
• 1/3                cup cashews(10-12 soaked in mild and blended)
• 1/4                cup milk

Spice Blend

• 1                  tsp fennel seeds
• 1                  tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2               tsp cardamon seeds
• 4-5               black pepper

1. Wash the potatoes.  Peel off skin and cut then in half.  Prick each potato with fork 2-3 times (this makes potatoes tender faster when frying and also help absorb flavour in the curry later)
2. Heat a large saucepan.  Add all the spices except chili powder and roast for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Remove in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder and grind to a powder.
3. Soak cashew in milk and set it aside.
4. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom large saucepan.  Add potatoes and cook until crispy almost brown from all sides,
5. Remove potatoes on a plate lined with paper towel.  Test if done – pierce a knife through one potato, the knife  should slide in smoothly.
6. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute until onions are soft.
7. While onions cook, grind cashew to a paste with soaking milk.  In onion, mixture add ground toasted spices and cook for 1 minute.  Add Cashew paste and cook for 3-4 minutes until oil separates.
8. Reduce heat to low, add yoghurt and mix well.  Increase the heat and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until oil separates.
9. Add the potatoes with 1/2 cup of water, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
10. Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan and/or rice.