Aloo Matar-Indian potato peas curry

Todays warm and rich Instant pot Aloo matar-Indian potato peas curry belongs to one of the most loved all time favorite of mine. This spicy vegan potato peas curry is made with tomato, onion gravy has more options for more variations and personalizations.

Another special benefit of this Punjabi style aloo matar recipe is that is made exclusively with Instant Pot. From sauteing till pressure cooking, the entire part of cooking is done with Instant Pot. So it is one pot dish and no hassle of cleaning the multiple pans and dishes.

Like most of the Indian curry recipes, this one is also vegan made with common Indian ingredients. Nowadays, most of these authentic spices are available here in the United States as well.

To sum up, this aloo matar curry is vegan, clean eating, real food that everything is made from scratch. As you might already know that PepperBowl has most of the recipes that are healthy and made from scratch.

This Instant pot aloo matar is a flavorful delicious side dish, perfect to serve over a bed of rice or with Indian flat bread like roti and paratha. Good thing is that you can use the same procedure if you are using a pressure cooker or stove top method.

You may look into other famous Indian curry recipes like, Instant pot potato curry, Indian cabbage curry, Salmon curry, Aloo palak,

Do I think I share too much of Indian curry? Well, you might be right, I love these and this is what I make regularly for my family. And this is one of the popular Indian recipes with potatoes and peas

Interestingly I have come across a question ‘How often do Indian eat curry’?  Indian food and curry are inseparable.

Where curry is the generic term, the curry you eat in restaurants is specialized dishes that we make it occasionally. And we eat this type of simple and humble dishes every day, as I made today aloo matar vegan side dish.

What is Aloo Matar?

Aloo matar is typically translated to potato and peas. This is a Punjabi style side dish usually served with Indian bread like roti, chapati, paratha or rice.

Where Punjab is a western state known for its impeccable cuisine. This is locally called ‘aloo matar ki subzi’, which can be translated as a side dish with potato and peas.

How does this aloo matar taste like?

This tastes wonderful and satisfying, that is way beyond your expectation. Every bite is spicy, a bouquet of aroma with a hint of masala and tomato.

A delicious caution here, the curry smells great that could invite even the stubborn neighbors to your doorsteps. Am I exaggerating too much? Yes, I think I am, it is all because of the appreciations I received so far.

How to serve?

This aloo matar recipe dhaba style(Punjabi roadside style potato curry) is semi-gravy like a thick gravy, which makes it perfect to serve with rice or Indian flatbread.

Traditionally, this vegan curry is served with paratha and roti. Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves just before serving. This increases the aroma of the dish and makes it more appetizing.

Make ahead ideas?

Though the entire cooking time is minimal in this aloo matar dhaba style recipe, still you could save some time by preparing the base in advance.

The main time-consuming part of this dish is sauteing the onion and tomato to make the gravy. Is not only costs time but also needs your focus and attention to cook it perfectly.

You can reduce the stress by making the base gravy in advance. The good part in here is, you can use this gravy for multiple dishes. So, point taken from here is making the aloo matar gravy bulk in advance, and store in the freezer.

Thaw a portion of gravy and make your dream curry easily within no time.

To cook Indian food faster, Instant pot and the pressure cooker are the most reliable sources that you can depend on. I trust them and believe that these modern equipment made my life easier.

How to store?

This Instant pot Indian potato peas curry is good to keep in the kitchen counter for a day, up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer. This a freezer friendly recipe, you can make well in advance and store. Reheat with a microwave or by stove top method.

As we discuss in the above paragraph, you can also freeze the gravy. For the crowd and parties, just thaw the gravy and combine and cook with the vegetables whenever needed. Which on the other hand, brings down half of the work and effort you put in the kitchen.

Adjusting Spice Level.

When talking about curry, you always talk about spiciness. Curry and spicy(the heat) are inseparable terms in Indian cooking. This is how you can bring Indian to your kitchen by making this spicy vegan aloo matar curry with less effort.

Before Cooking. If you worry about the spice level, you are the queen and you decide what to go in there. Reduce the red chili powder substantially to your spice level, or you may even substitute one teaspoon of red chili powder with a half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoonful of paprika.

These are some of my suggestions, which you can opt before cooking.

After cooking. If you feel it is too spicy after completing the dish, add a blog of butter or a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. This makes the curry rich and tastes like a restaurant-style(adding heavy cream is one the top secret of Indian restaurants).

Variations for Indian Potato peas curry

• Add chopped carrot or cauliflower florets to the curry. This makes this curry looks more vibrant.
• You may add coconut milk to make it creamy and Rich.
• Add fresh mint leaves and just a few leaves give the recipe a whole new look. Which makes it old-fashioned refreshing gravy.
• you may also substitute potato with sweet potato.
• I have peeled the skin of the potatoes here. But if you're using golden potatoes and who loves to eat the potatoes with the skin, please go ahead and make this dish with the potato skin on.
• Swap fresh tomato with store-bought tomato puree or diced tomato. This will drastically reduce the cooking time.
• Add garam masala for a spicy variation. This unique ingredient makes this smell and tastes more authentic.
• Substitute cumin seeds with fennel seeds. Though they look similar in size and shape but brings out a totally different aroma.
• Want to make this aloo matar ki sabzi in a pressure cooker? use the same recipe and cook for 3 whistles in the medium flame.

How to make Aloo Matar

Preparing the gravy. This is the only important step, where you need to put your focus on. And the rest is easy to process. In a pan, add cooking oil, with roughly chopped onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic. Saute them until they are half cooked. Allow them to become cool and grind to a smooth paste with the help of a blender.

Seasoning. Add cumin seeds to the cooking oil and allow it to crack.

Make Gravy. Add a ground mixture of tomato-onion puree. And cook them in medium heat until it becomes thick and fragrant.

Add Spices. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Allow it to cook for 10 seconds. Make sure it should not get burnt anywhere during cooking.

Add vegetables. Add peeled potatoes and washed green peas.

Cook. Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Manually set the cooking time as 7 minutes.

Open. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid sprinkle some chopped cilantro and serve hot.

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