This dish is everything I want in a home-made curry – full of taste, easy to make, and easy on the budget. It’s vegetarian (vegan, even), low-fat, takes half an hour in a single pan and uses only storecupboard ingredients. How much more perfect could it be?
My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and she knows what she’s on about.
Ingredients
Serves 4
4 large potatoes or the equivalent in new potatoes
1 onion
Some peas, fresh or frozen. However much you like.
1 tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
As much chilli as you like, powdered, dried or fresh
1tsp garam masala
A knob of butter (or oil if you’re vegan)
A pinch of salt and pepper
The Cooking
Chop up the onion really finely, as finely as you can bear with tears streaming down your face. If possible, it should be almost chopped to a paste although don’t worry if it’s not. Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan on a low-to-medium heat and when it starts to foam, add the onion. Stir it occasionally as you get on with the other stuff, but not too much, it’s nice when it catches a bit.
Now cut up the potatoes into roughly equal-sized chunks. If you’re using new potatoes just halve them.
Mix together the coriander, cumin, cayenne, sugar, chilli, salt and pepper (but not the garam masala). When the onions are golden brown, almost burnt, add the potatoes and the spice mix, give it a good stir so the onions and potato are coated and let it cook for a minute. Then pour in some cold water, enough to almost cover the potatoes.
Bring the whole thing up to the boil and let it bubble away for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and tasting often – if you feel it needs more salt then add it. As the potato softens and the liquid reduces a bit, smoosh a couple of the potatoes into the liquid to thicken it.
If it gets a bit dry, add more water. If it’s too watery, smoosh some more of the potato into it and turn up the heat and reduce the liquid some more. Use the mighty power of your brain.
After 15 minutes, check if the potatoes are almost-but-not-completely cooked. If they are, add the peas (if they’re not, cook them some more until they are, obviously). Once the peas are cooked (about 5 minutes), sprinkle over the garam masala, stir it around for another minute and serve it up with basmati rice and dhal, if you like.
This, as they say on the packets, is a serving suggestion:
August 13, 2007 at 9:44 pm
ooh yum, that looks lovely!
August 14, 2007 at 8:29 am
My father is British and have grown up with his love to cook curry, in fact tonight I think I am going to make a chicken Biryani 🙂 I like the look and simplicity of your recipe, especially good if running late after work!
As you have a love for traditional English food, have you found a good scone recipe?
My blog is http://www.asweetpea.wordpress.com drop by when you have a minute
Erika
August 14, 2007 at 7:38 pm
[…] project, so I decided on a delicious-looking dish I had seen while tag-surfing yesterday; “Potato & Pea Curry (Aloo Mattar)” from the enthusiastically British site “101 Things every Cook should […]
August 15, 2007 at 6:43 am
[…] Pea & Potato Curry (Aloo Mattar) [image] This dish is everything I want in a home-made curry – full of taste, easy to make, and easy on the budget. […] […]
September 11, 2007 at 10:55 pm
I’m probably one of the few people who do not shed a tear when chopping onions. I grew up that way, so I never knew what the fuss was all about. I’m planning on making this curry for dinner real soon! Looks like a dish for a college budget 🙂
Carla
http://chocolatemoosey.blogspot.com
October 17, 2007 at 2:24 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
November 6, 2007 at 7:22 pm
[…] informative posts, learn how to sweat onions and mushrooms at 101 Things Every Cook Should Cook, find out how to cook an artichoke at A Year at Oak Cottage, […]
July 22, 2008 at 4:03 am
your kurma looks great and mouthwatering. Superb photos.
December 20, 2008 at 3:12 am
Thanks for the recipe, however, i dont understand one thing. You say that mash the potatoes to increase the thickness of the gravy and then later you say that add the peas when the potato is half cooked. How will the potato mash if it is not completely cooked?
April 20, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Um, curry, yummy!
Love it.
Hey I wanted you and your readers to know that there’s a cool recipe and wine pairing contest going on. You can show off how you made this curry/pea perfection and what wine goes with it!
If you like, you can learn more about the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge and see if you want to enter!
Keep the dishes comin!!!
October 15, 2010 at 7:43 pm
For, chilli, u mean red chilli powder or green chilli?
December 20, 2010 at 9:20 pm
The only reason I tried your recipe over all the others on the net was because you said it was given to you by your mother-in-law. mothers and mothers-in-law can always be relied on more than any recipe book. My trust was not misplaced. I followed your instructions verbatim (except that I added a pinch of fennel and fresh chopped coriander at the end) and the curry turned out really well. Many thanks.
January 6, 2011 at 12:28 am
When I got married almost 50 years ago, I could only cook two Indian meals (taught to me by a dear Indian boyfriend) and this was one of them. Now I hardly cook anything else but curries as my family all love them. Here in Melbourne, Australia, I am still trying to find an authentic Indian restaurant as we have in the UK but at least I can make my own and this recipe is delicious.
December 28, 2011 at 9:11 am
I’m making it right now and so far so good
June 8, 2012 at 10:10 am
thank you very much for the beautifully simple recipe for alou mater! i love it and have used it quite often and i must say, it looks wonderful on my ceramics!!!!!
September 26, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Thanks very much. Tried and tasted, verdict….lovely. 🙂
January 30, 2013 at 8:57 am
It seems u really fully understand a lot regarding this subject matter and this shows with this
specific posting, called “Pea & Potato Curry (Aloo Mattar) 101 Things Every Cook Should Cook”.
I am grateful -Charlotte
January 14, 2019 at 1:49 am
Making this made my wife happy, Happy wife, happy life, Great recipe
. Thanks