Step 1
Rinse 500 grams baby potatoes well. Remove the mud etc. from them by scrubbing or brushing. You can also soak them in some warm water for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse them. Take 3.5 cups water + ¼ tsp salt in a pan. Add the potatoes.
Step 2
On a medium to high flame, boil the water, so that the potatoes are half cooked. About 9 to 10 minutes. You can even pressure cook the baby potatoes with 3 cups water for 1 whistle. Drain them and allow to become warm or cool down at room temperature.
Step 3
Peel the potatoes. This task takes a lot of time, so do it while listening to music or watching your favorite tv show. If you want, you can keep the peels too.
Step 4
With a fork, toothpick or skewer, poke holes in the potatoes all over. This is done so that when cooking on dum, the potatoes absorb the flavors of the masala in which they are getting cooked. Halve them if they are big or you can keep them whole if they are small and then poke them.
Step 5
Whisk 6 tablespoons fresh full fat curd or yogurt till smooth. Keep aside. In a small bowl, take 3 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder and 2 tablespoons water. Mix and stir well to get a smooth mixture.
Step 6
In a pan heat ¾ cup mustard oil till it begins to smoke. Add the parboiled peeled baby potatoes and begin to fry them on a low to medium flame. With a slotted spoon, turn them over while frying, when one side is golden.
Step 7
Remove the baby potatoes which are golden and crisp with a slotted spoon. Fry them well or else they remain uncooked from the center. Place them on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. Fry all the baby potatoes till golden and crisp.
Step 8
If you want, you can again poke holes in the fried baby potatoes. This is an optional step.