Spicy aloo matar dry-curried potatoes and peas

What is aloo matar?

Aloo is the Hindi word for potato and matar for green peas. So, Aloo matar is an Indian dish made with potatoes and green peas.

This Indian potato and peas dish is eaten both in dry form and with gravy. Today, I am sharing the recipe for the dry version of aloo matar.

As a kid, I loved carrying aloo matar with plain Paratha (Indian fried flatbread) in my lunch box to school. In India, even the fussy eater kids relish this dish.

If you have boiled potatoes in your fridge, this aloo matar can be made in less than 30 minutes.

What's needed to make aloo matar dry?

For this dry aloo matar recipe, you will need some very basic ingredients that are shown below:

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

1. Boiled potatoes: Any variety of potatoes is fine. You can use baby potatoes too.
2. Green peas: Fresh or frozen, both are fine. I have used frozen peas, they get cooked faster. If you are using fresh peas, cook them for a longer period.
3. Red onion: Red onion is the best for Indian recipes. If you don't have that use white or brown onion.
4. Ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic will give the best flavor. I prefer using minced garlic and grated ginger. You can also use ginger garlic paste. Add ginger garlic paste once the onion turns translucent and saute until the raw smell of garlic goes away. If you don't have fresh ginger and garlic, use garlic and ginger powder.
5. Green chili peppers: Skip if your heat tolerance is low or remove some seeds from chilies.
6. Fresh cilantro: Most Indian savory dishes are incomplete without fresh cilantro. Please note that coriander leaves and cilantro are the same. If you don't like it, skip it. Don't use parsley to garnish Indian food.
7. Coriander powder: It's the powdered form of dried coriander seeds. Coriander powder is one of the most commonly used Indian spices which you can easily find in most grocery stores that sell spices too.
8. Dried mango powder: Also called amchoor powder is the powdered form of raw mangoes. It's added to make a dish savory. You can also use lime juice instead of dry mango powder.
9. Turmeric powder: It not only adds color to the dish but also has a lot of health benefits.
10. Red chili powder: Use any type of red chili powder depending on how much heat you want to add to your dish. I prefer using Kashmiri red chili powder as it's not very spicy and adds color to the dish. You can skip red chili powder if you want.
11. Cooking oil: Feel free to use any cooking oil of your choice. For most North Indian recipes, I prefer using mustard oil. If you are also using mustard oil, heat it till it reaches the smoking point then turn off the heat. Allow the oil to get slightly colder then switch on the heat again and start the cooking process.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

Making aloo matar is very simple. If you already have boiled potatoes in your kitchen the process becomes simpler. 

It involves only the following main steps:

Step 1: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet or pan and add cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter.

Step 2: Add chopped onion and cook until it becomes translucent.

Step 3: Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds.

Step 4: Add coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder.

Step 5: Saute on low heat for around 30 seconds. Powdered spices get burned very fast so don't cook them on high heat and also don't leave them unattended.

Step 6: Add green peas and salt.

Step 7: Saute for about a minute.

Step 8: Add around ½ a cup of water and mix.

Step 9: Cover the pan and cook for around 4-5 minutes on medium heat i.e. until the peas are cooked. Here I have used frozen peas, if you are using fresh peas they will take a longer time to get cooked.

Step 10: Add boiled potato cubes, dried mango powder, and chopped cilantro. Mix everything.

Step 11: Cook covered for around 2 minutes.

Step 12: Turn off the heat. Garnish with more chopped cilantro.

Your quick Indian aloo matar is ready to be served.

How to serve aloo matar?

This simple dish can be eaten at any time of the day and is generally served with Indian bread like roti, paratha, or puri.

You can also serve dry aloo matar sabzi as a side dish with rice and dal.

Use the leftover aloo matar as stuffing in grilled sandwiches or wraps.

Storing, freezing, and reheating tips

Cooked potatoes go bad quickly so I won't recommend storing them for long. Store the leftover aloo matar in an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume it within 2 days of cooking. 

Though in India, the concept of freezing cooked food is not very popular and people generally eat freshly cooked food (within 24 hours of cooking), if you want you can freeze aloo matar ki sabzi in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

To reheat, add a splash of water and either microwave until evenly heated or reheat on the stovetop in a pan, covered tightly. Do stir once or twice in between.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

1. I prefer using starchy potatoes in this recipe but you can use any variety of potatoes to make aloo matar ki sabzi. Even baby potatoes are fine to be used in this recipe.
2. I have used frozen green peas, you can use fresh peas too. If you are using fresh peas, add around 1 cup of water instead of ½ and cook for a longer period as fresh peas take comparatively more time to get cooked.
3. Adding green chili is optional. If your heat tolerance is low either skip green chili or remove its seeds.
4. Instead of dried mango powder, lime or lemon juice can also be used in the recipe. You can also sprinkle some chaat masala on aloo matar once it's ready.
5. I have used some very basic Indian spices, you can use more spices of your choice to flavor aloo matar like kasoori methi, cumin powder, or a pinch of garam masala powder.
6. You can also make aloo matar with gravy if you want. For that, add one finely chopped tomato once the onion is cooked. Cook tomatoes until they turn mushy. Then add peas, potato, spices, chili, and salt to the onion tomato masala. Saute for about a minute. Add water and cook until the peas are cooked well. You can skip lime juice and amchur powder if adding tomatoes.

Frequently asked questions

More Indian dry vegetable recipes

If you enjoyed this simple Indian green peas with potatoes dish and want to explore more recipes for Indian-style vegetables without gravy, then don't miss to check out the following recipes:

Other Indian vegetables with gravy

If you want to make Indian vegetables with gravy then you must try the recipes below:

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