Dum

Also written: dum cooking, slow steam

Urduدم
Hindiदम
Banglaদম

Dum is cooking in a sealed pot on very low heat, so the food steams in its own moisture. The lid is shut tight, often with a strip of dough pressed around the rim, and nothing escapes until you open it.

It is the final stage of biryani and of dishes like dum aloo. Everything is already part-cooked: in our Chicken Biryani the rice is boiled to about 70 percent and the chicken to about 80 percent, then they are layered and sealed so low heat finishes both together. The steam carries the flavour of fried onion, mint and spices through the layers instead of letting it drift out of the kitchen.

The set-up matters more than the clock. Use a heavy pot, because a thin one scorches the bottom layer. Seal it with a tight lid, foil under the lid, or dough. Let the pot build steam on medium for about three minutes, then drop to the lowest flame, ideally with a tawa underneath to spread the heat. Our biryani then steams for 20 minutes without the lid being lifted, followed by a 10 minute rest with the heat off.

Resist peeking. Each time you lift the lid you let out the steam that is doing the cooking. If you hear hard sizzling or smell something toasty, the flame is too high; a quiet pot is a healthy one.

Dum

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