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Aloo Matar Indian Pea and Potato Curry

Aloo matar or mutter is an easy-to-make Indian pea and potato curry, it is naturally vegan my version is medium hot & heady with fenugreek.

Cooking the potatoes slowly in the gravy over a very low heat allows them to “absorb” the maximum amount of flavour without them falling apart or turning to mush and creates a wonderful meal!

Overhead Indian aloo matar curry with potatoes and peas served with naan bread.

Aloo Mutter Pea and Potato Curry

I’m rather fond of potatoes, they may not be the most glamorous of vegetables but they are glorious.

Even my website name Krumpli means potato in colloquial Hungarian!

I never cease to be surprised by people being surprised that food from the Indian subcontinent can contain potatoes.

Aloo is the Hindi & Urdu word for potato, they were introduced to India in the 17th century by the Portuguese.

They are used in everything from samosas to the classic saag aloo, as well as in dishes like aloo gosht and dum aloo!

Not to mention then really rather famous Bombay Potatoes which is more of a dry side dish than a full-on potato curry.

My aloo matar recipe is designed to be a main course vegan meal. It features a sauce that is medium hot and it is heady with fenugreek, my personal favourite Indian flavouring.

Close-up Indian aloo mutter curry with potatoes and peas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of potatoes should I use in aloo matar?

Well, that depends on what sort of texture you are looking to achieve!

This version of aloo matar or mutter uses floury potatoes like Maris Pipers or Russets if you are in the US. If you are in the parts of Europe that use the A,B,C categorisation you want a type C.

But you can use anything that you like, my aloo gobi matar uses a medium potato like a Desiree which results in a slightly less thick gravy.

You can even use a salad potato Pink Fir or Charlotte would be wonderful, although you can use any new potato.

What type of chilli should I use?

Like all my curry recipes, choose something that you like.

Eating spicy food is not a competition, I typically use green finger chillies in this recipe.

Can this be made in advance?

Yes, this aloo matar recipe is perfect for making ahead of time. It will store in the fridge for 3-4 days comfortably and will get better with age.

Take care with reheating though! You will need to add a little more water, but place it in a pan over a medium heat and stir regularly.

Indian aloo matar curry with potatoes and peas served with naan bread.

Serving Suggestions

A traditional Indian aloo matar curry would be served as part of a smorgasbord of dishes.

I really do not eat that way and usually serve this potato curry as a vegan main course dish.

I typically pair it with naan bread or more usually a couple of chapati or roti.

It also works well with a nice side of kachumber salad too!

You can scale this recipe down from a main course curry and serve it as a potato side dish.

This spicy aloo matar with anything from a nice pork chop all the way through to my Indian spiced roast chicken legs.

Close-up overhead Indian aloo matar curry with potatoes and peas.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Large wok.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
  • Vegetable peeler.
  • Grater.
  • Stirring and serving spoons.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Aloo matar or mutter an Indian inspired pea and potato curry.
Yield: 2 Servings

Vegan Aloo Matar Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

I adore this simple vegan pea and potato curry or aloo matar, fresh chilli gives a nice punch of heat that sits alongside earthy turmeric and fenugreek.

Ingredients

  • 350g (12oz) Potatoes
  • 150g (1 Cup) Onion
  • 200g (2 Medium) Tomatoes
  • 2 Green Chilli Peppers
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 30g (Thumb Sized Piece) Ginger
  • 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 10cm or 4" Piece Cassia Bark
  • 6 Cardamom Pods
  • 1 Tsp Black Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 2 Tsp Gram Flour
  • 2 Tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
  • ½ Tsp Ground Turmeric
  • ½ Tsp Ground Coriander
  • ⅛ Tsp Asafoetida
  • ½ Tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • 500ml (2 Cups) Water
  • 2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek
  • 1 Tsp Garam Masala
  • 175g (1¼ Cups) Garden Peas (Defrosted if frozen)

Instructions

  1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into a 35-40mm or 1½" dice, then plunge them in cold water whilst you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  2. Top and tail the onion, cut it in half, peel it, then cut it into strips (top to bottom) 5-6mm (¼") thick.
  3. Cut the tomatoes into a 1cm or around ½" dice.
  4. Slit the chilli peppers in half lengthways, but do not cut all the way through, leave around 1cm (½") at the stalk end.
  5. Peel and mash the garlic cloves.
  6. Peel and grate the ginger.
  7. Heat a wok over a medium-high heat and when it is hot add the oil, cassia bark, cardamom pods, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and slit green chillies, then stir for 30 seconds.
  8. Throw in the onions and cook for 10-12 minutes or until they are nicely coloured, stir this mix regularly to prevent the seeds from burning.
  9. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 30 seconds.
  10. Sprinkle over the gram flour, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, asafoetida, black pepper and salt, then cook for 1 minute stirring all of the time to gently cook out the spices and flour.
  11. Add the tomatoes and potatoes, stir everything to coat then pour in the water and again stir, reduce the heat to low and cook for 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely cooked.
  12. Sprinkle in the garam masala, crush the dried fenugreek leaves into the sauce and add the peas, then cook for a final 2 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 496Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 710mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 15gSugar: 17gProtein: 15g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Claire

Friday 16th of February 2024

With unexpected high cholesterol I am searching for curry recipes without coconut milk which was a high in saturated fat. This looks perfect. Thank you.

Brian Jones

Sunday 17th of March 2024

You are more than welcome Claire, I have loads of curry recipes and "most" of them are free of coconut milk, if you click on curry corner in my menu I have somewhere in the region of 100 curry recipes from around the world :o

Karl

Thursday 13th of January 2022

Really delicious.Added some generous buds of cauliflower with the garlic and chilli pepper,and a few raisins [just to surprise the taste buds] Forgive me for the break with traditional Indian fare. Your videos are superb, definitely a fan.

Brian Jones

Friday 14th of January 2022

Never apologise for making your dinner to your taste! I love to hear of folk doing just that, and I love adding fruit to curries, I have a real left field pineapple and apple chicken curry that I love and raisins appear in my biryani too :)

I really must get round to making more videos, I've just relocated so that has impacted how many I am producing at the moment, but I am sure there will be more to come as the year rolls on.

Helen

Sunday 2nd of February 2020

Wow!! This sounds a must try out one!!

Brian Jones

Monday 3rd of February 2020

Thanks Helen. Enjoy.

Amy Nash

Friday 30th of March 2018

Such a yummy, satisfying sounding curry! I have not seen black onion seeds before - will have to look for those to try them in this dish!

Brian Jones

Sunday 1st of April 2018

Really... They are also known as nigella seeds in some places :)

Melve

Thursday 29th of March 2018

Another delicious recipe added to my Curry list. I tried your other curry recipes and it was so good. Looking forward to more Curry recipes from you. Thank you for inspiring us through your cooking.

Brian Jones

Friday 30th of March 2018

Cheers Melve!

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