Scrape the aloo (potatoes), prick all over with a fork and soak in the water with little salt for 2 hours.
Dry the potatoes on a cloth and heat the ghee or oil.
Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
Heat the measured ghee in a flameproof pan and fry onions with all the spices until golden.
Grind the paste ingredients to a fairly smooth paste and stir into the onions.
Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, curd and salt.
Add the aloo (potatoes) and hot water and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the dum aloo with pepper and garam masala and cook for few minutes.