Aloo matar is one of the first Indian dishes I learned to cook because it uses ingredients I always have: potatoes, peas, onions, and tomatoes. Cumin and mustard seeds splutter in hot oil, then chopped onions go in with a paste of ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Tomatoes and spices cook down into a thick base before the potatoes and peas join.
The spice list is short but specific: red chili powder, garam masala, and yogurt stirred in once the tomatoes have cooked down. The yogurt tempers the heat and thickens the sauce. It cooks for about thirty minutes total. Serve it with rice or flatbread. Pretty damn satisfying for something made of pantry staples.
Tips for Making Aloo Matar
Let the seeds splutter first
Cumin and mustard seeds go into hot oil at the very start. Wait until they pop and crackle before adding the onions.
This step blooms the spices and releases their oil into the cooking fat. It takes about thirty seconds.
Cook the tomatoes down
The chopped tomatoes need to cook for about fifteen minutes with the spices until they break down into a thick paste.
If you skip this step, the sauce is watery and the raw tomato flavor is all you taste.
Aloo Matar – Peas with Potatoes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Potatoes and peas simmered in a spiced tomato and yogurt gravy with cumin, mustard seeds and garam masala. About 30 minutes of cooking; good with rice or hot phulkas.
Ingredients
- 5 potatoes
- 1 cups (237 ml) green peas
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp ginger, garlic and green chillies paste
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- Oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds and let them splutter.
- Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies paste. Sauté until the onion turns translucent.
- Add chopped tomatoes and all dry spices. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add yogurt and mix well.
- Add peas, potatoes, salt, and water. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Garnish with coriander and serve with hot phulkas.
Notes
- For a smoother gravy, blend the tomatoes before adding them to the pan.
- If you don’t have fresh peas, frozen peas work well; just add them with the potatoes.
- Store leftover Aloo Matar in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stir-Frying
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 10
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen peas?
Yes, fresh or frozen. Add them with the potatoes, the way the recipe card does, so they cook through in the final 15 minutes under the lid.
How long do the tomatoes need to cook?
About 15 minutes with the dry spices, until they break down into a thick paste. Cut that short and the sauce is watery and tastes of raw tomato.
What kind of yogurt, and when does it go in?
Two tablespoons of plain, full-fat yogurt, stirred in well right after the tomatoes cook down and before the potatoes and peas. Full-fat is less likely to split in the hot pan.
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