Aloo mutter or Aloo matar is a vegetarian North Indian dish – typical of Punjabi cuisine – made from potatoes (Aloo) and green peas (Matar). The dish is a simple curry consisting of fresh or frozen potatoes and green peas in a sauce cooked with fresh tomatoes, pureed garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin seeds, red chili, and other spices. It can also be made without onion or garlic, making it vegan.
Aloo mutter is also available commercially in ready-to-eat packets that need to be heated and served. This dish can be found across India, in almost every state, but often with a regional touch. It is typically served hot with naan, puris, rotis, paratha, jeera rice, ghee rice, plain rice, or even bread. It is also sometimes used as a filling in some variations of dosa.
This recipe is suitable for anyone new to Indian cooking, as it uses basic Indian spices and simple techniques. If you’re intimidated by Indian cooking, give this recipe a try as it is a good starting point.
About Aloo Matar
Aloo (meaning “potatoes”) and matar (also spelled mattar or mutter, which means “peas”) be a part of forces in this delightfully saucy curry. It is additionally recognised as aloo matar ki sabji in Hindi. When I’m in want of relief food, this is the recipe I flip to.
Home-style meals is now not solely simpler and faster to make than restaurant-style recipes, however it is additionally frequently extra acquainted as well. One of the matters I like about this Aloo Matar curry is how comfortable and comforting it feels. When you’re feeling underneath the climate or have had a difficult day (or year), this recipe is a super balm for your soul.
While superbly spiced and full of flavour, this aloo mutter is equally attractive to each choosy kids and “foodie” adults. The potatoes and peas grow to be smooth and nearly creamy whilst cooking, making them a beautiful foil to the tangy spiced tomato sauce.
So if you are in want of a recipe that is rapid and convenient to make, free from any esoteric elements or fancy equipment, this is the dish for you. Make my Aloo Mutter curry nowadays and have fun with the contentment on your cherished one’s faces as they revel in each final bite.
Note: Aloo matar can be made both in a gravy base or made dry like roasted veggies. If you are a fan of the dry model of peas and potatoes, then do test my savoury and spiced Dry Aloo Matar Sabzi which tastes equally good.
How to make Aloo Matar // Preparation
I have cooked the gravy in a pan, however if you are quick of time you can use a stove-top strain cooker or Instant Pot instead. I have noted the important points of cooking in a stress cooker or Instant pot in the recipe card below.
Blend Gravy Ingredients
1. Take ½ cup chopped onions, 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 inch roughly chopped ginger and 6-7 garlic cloves in a grinder or blender jar.
2. Chopped ¼ cup Coriander leaves, 2 Green Chillies, broken in to half.
3. Without including any water, grind or blend to a fine paste.
Making Aloo Matar Gravy
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a thick-bottomed pot or pressure cooker. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and cook until they crackle. You can use any neutral flavoured oil. For a richer taste you can additionally use ghee or butter.
5. Now add the ground onion-tomato paste to the oil in the pan. Keep the heat to a low and also take care as the combination splutters.
6. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon Degi red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and ¾ teaspoon garam masala.
7. Stir nicely and then add 1 tablespoon malai (the thick layer of cream floating on top of boiled cooled total milk). If you don’t have malai, you can add 1 tablespoon of almond powder (almond meal) or 1 tablespoon of cashew powder or 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Or you can completely omit the cream.
8. The curry masala mixture splutters, so cover the pot or cooker partly with a lid.
9. Once the mixture stops spluttering, then open the lid and sauté. Stir regularly so that the gravy masala does not get browned or gets stuck to the base of the pot.
10. Sauté the ground paste till the oil releases from the sides and the masala paste thickens. You will see that the paste becomes glossy and comes together in a kind of lump.
11. Add 1 cup green peas and 2 large potatoes (peeled and diced) to the curry masala paste.
12. If using a stovetop pressure cooker then add 1 cup water and pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium-heat until the potatoes and peas are cooked completely.
13. If using an Instant Potfirst 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.
14. Season with salt as required.
15. Stir well and cover the pot with the lid.
16. Simmer till the potatoes and peas are cooked tender. If necessary, you can add some more water. If you are cooking in a pot on the stovetop, it will take about 20 to 30 minutes on a low to medium heat. The time will vary with the intensity of the heat and thickness and quality of the pot.
17. Crush ½ to 1 teaspoon kasoori methi in your palms and add it to gravy, Stir well and Check slat & spice. If you like to make it more hot, you can cut a green chilli and it at this stage.
18. Sprinkle some coriander leaves. If your gravy is runny, then you can cook further without covering until the water evaporates. To thicken the gravy further, easy mash a few potatoes in a separate bowl and add it here.
19. Serve Aloo Matar hot from the pan, preferably with Indian breads like puris, rotis, paratha, naan jeera rice, ghee rice, or serve with steamed rice or cumin rice.
FAQs
How to make dry Aloo Matar Sabji?
Skip onions, temper cumin seeds in oil and sauté ginger garlic and green chillies, Saute potatoes until fork tender, splashing little water if required. Then add all the spice powders and peas. Mix and cook covered on a low heat until peas are soft and cooked then pour half of cup tomato puree and sauté on medium heat until moisture in tomatoes evaporates.
Can I use Boiled potatoes to make Aloo matar?
Yes you can use all dente cooked potatoes to Aloo matar. Make the onion tomato masala the identical way as in the recipe. Then add cubed al dente cooked potatoes and peas. Pour about ¼ cup warm water and simmer till the potatoes are soft.
Aloo Matar | Aloo Mutter
Ingredients
For Grinding or Blending
½ Cup Chopped Onions or 80 Grams or 2 Medium-sized onion
1 Cup chopped tomatoes or 150 grams or 2 medium to large tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger.
1 teaspoon chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small to medium garlic.
Other Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil – any neutral oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter.
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh malai or 1 tablespoon heavy cream or 1 tablespoon almond or cashew powder (optional)
250 grams potatoes or 3 medium or 2 large potatoes – peeled and diced.
1 cup Green peas – fresh or frozen
1 generous pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper, add as required
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
½ teaspoon Garam Masala or as required
1.5 Cups water or add as required
2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Salt as required
Crush 1 Teaspoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves or kasoori Methi Leaves.
Instructions
- Preparation· Take chopped onions,tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a grinder or blender jar.· Without addingany water, grind or blend to a smooth paste. · Keep this groundpaste aside.· Heat oil in a potor pressure cooker. Keep the heat to a low. First crackle the cumin seeds.· Then add theground onion-tomato paste. Be careful as the paste splutters when you add it tothe oil.· Stir and then addthe malai (which is a thick layer of cream that is formed on the top of wholemilk when it is boiled and later cooled). Swap it with almond powder or cashewpowder or heavy cream. You can choose to skip cream altogether.· Saute the groundpaste till the oil releases from the sides. The masala paste will also thicken,become glossy and will come together.· The mixturesplutters initially. So do cover partly with a lid. Once the mixture stopsspluttering, then remove the lid and saute.· Once the pastehas been sauteed well then add the asafoetida powder, red chilli powder andturmeric powder.· Stir and then addthe peas and potatoes. Saute for a minute. Add water and salt as required.· Stir well andcover the pot. Simmer till the potatoes and peas are cooked tender for about 20to 30 minutes. You can alter the consistency of the curry by adding less ormore water.· Ifusing a stove-top pressure cooker add1 cup water and pressure cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium-heat until thepotatoes & peas are cooked completely.· Ifmaking in the Instant Pot firstfry the spices and sauté the onion-tomato paste. Then pressure cook for 5minutes on high after you add the peas, potatoes, salt and water.· Lastly sprinklegaram masala powder and stir.· Then add choppedcoriander leaves.· Stir well andserve aloo matar hot with poori, chapati, naan, paratha or steamed rice.Making AlooMatar
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.