This Aloo Matar (also spelled Aloo Mutter) is a simple, delicious, comforting curry recipe of potato and green peas in an onion, tomato, spice laden gravy base. It makes for a healthy and comforting meal when paired with Indian breads or steamed rice.
Take chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a grinder or blender jar.
Without adding any water, grind or blend to a smooth paste.
Keep this ground paste aside.
Making aloo matar
Heat oil in a pot or pressure cooker. Keep the heat to a low. First crackle the cumin seeds.
Then add the ground onion-tomato paste. Be careful as the paste splutters when you add it to the oil.
Stir and then add the malai (which is a thick layer of cream that is formed on the top of whole milk when it is boiled and later cooled). Swap it with almond powder or cashew powder or heavy cream. You can choose to skip cream altogether.
Saute the ground paste till the oil releases from the sides. The masala paste will also thicken, become glossy and will come together.
The mixture splutters initially. So do cover partly with a lid. Once the mixture stops spluttering, then remove the lid and saute.
Once the paste has been sauteed well then add the asafoetida powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
Stir and then add the peas and potatoes. Saute for a minute. Add water and salt as required.
Stir well and cover the pot. Simmer till the potatoes and peas are cooked tender for about 20 to 30 minutes. You can alter the consistency of the curry by adding less or more water.
If using a stove-top pressure cooker add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium-heat until the potatoes & peas are cooked completely.
If making in the Instant Pot first fry the spices and sauté the onion-tomato paste. Then pressure cook for 5 minutes on high after you add the peas, potatoes, salt and water.
Lastly sprinkle garam masala powder and stir.
Then add chopped coriander leaves.
Stir well and serve aloo matar hot with poori, chapati, naan, paratha or steamed rice.
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Notes
To make the almond or cashew powder, simply grind about 8 to 10 almonds or cashews in a small dry grinder or coffee grinder.
Make sure to use tomatoes that are ripe, red with a sweet taste. Don't use overly tangy tomatoes as this can make the gravy highly sour to taste. If this happens then balance the sour taste by adding a bit of sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream.
Though I prefer to use fresh peas in the recipe, feel free to use frozen green peas.
You can also use baby potatoes or new potatoes to make this curry.
To make it more healthy and hearty you can opt to add vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, french beans, sweet corn and capsicum (bell pepper).
For an added boost of protein consider adding some pan-fried tofu or paneer (Indian cottage cheese) once the gravy is cooked.
The recipe can be scaled to make a small batch or a big batch.