“Aloo” is the hindi word for potato. So popular is aloo gobi (Indian spiced potatoes with cauliflower) and aloo saag (with spinach) in the UK that the word “aloo” has recently been entered into the official Scrabble dictionary. That tickles me.
Aloo matar is my favourite of the aloo dishes and this is how I make it. It’s a cracker of a recipe, I must say. 🙂
Aloo Matar
(serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main)
1 large onion, thickly sliced
1 tblspn vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tspn coriander
1 tspn cumin
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
500g potatoes, cut roughly into 3cm bits
250g peas (frozen ones work a treat)
1 tblspn garam masala
Handful of fresh coriander
- Fry the onion gently in the oil until golden brown.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli. Cook for another minute.
- Add the potatoes, salt and pepper to the pan along with 50ml water. Stir to coat the potatoes thoroughly. Once the liquid is very gently simmering put a lid on the pan and let the potatoes steam gently in the spices for 10 mins. Stir occasionally.
- Add the peas to the pan and continue to steam under a lid until potatoes are soft.
- Stir through the garam masala and serve sprinkled generously with coriander.
(Chicken recipe to come. It’s a cracker too.)
A Wee Bit of Cooking 