Dum
Slow cooking in a sealed, heavy pot over low heat so the food steams in its own juices.
Also: dum pukht, dum cooking
Dum means breath or steam. In dum cooking, partly cooked ingredients are layered in a heavy pot, and the lid is sealed with a strip of dough. The pot sits over low heat, sometimes with hot coals on the lid as well. Nothing escapes, so the food finishes cooking gently in its own steam and keeps its aroma. The method is linked with the Mughal and Awadhi kitchens of north India and is the classic way to finish a biryani.