A tasty, saucy bowl of Aloo Matar that comes together in minutes with the basic tomato onion sauce. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free recipe.
I have one more classic Indian restaurant favorite for you today, and you can make it in under 20 minutes if you have some of my basic tomato onion sauce for curries handy.
Aloo Matar (pronounced mutter) is a dish everyone -- kids and adults alike -- adores and why wouldn't they? Peas and potatoes are probably two of the most popular veggies around, and who can resist them when they are drowning in a sea of spicy, red, tomato-ey sauce.
If you haven't made my basic tomato onion sauce for curries, what's stopping you? It's easily made in the Instant Pot (I've got directions for the stovetop and pressure cooker too) and can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for longer periods. And once you've made it, you'll have enough to make several Indian dishes, like Saag Aloo and Methi Malai Tofu in a hurry. Best of all, they taste so good, everyone'll think you spent hours slogging over the stove.
This Aloo Matar makes a nice addition to that tasty list. This Punjabi recipe is simplicity itself, but it packs an amazing punch of flavor.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Aloo Matar:
- Basic Tomato Onion Sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Cumin seeds
- Potatoes
- Green peas (fresh or frozen, either is fine)
- Cilantro
How to make Aloo Matar:
- Start out by heating ½ teaspoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and when they start to darken, add 1 ½ cups of the basic tomato onion sauce. Stir well, and let the sauce come to a boil. Add the potatoes and, if you're using fresh green peas, add them at this time. Add 2 cups of water.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, and if you're using frozen green peas, add at this time. Let the sauce return to a boil. If at any time the sauce appears too thick, add some water. You don't want your aloo matar to be extremely saucy, but it should have enough sauce that you can scoop it up with a roti or naan.
- Add salt and turn off the heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
What to serve the Aloo Matar with?
- Aloo matar goes best with a roti or naan -- kinda like peas and potatoes.
- You can serve it as a side with rice and dal.
- If you want to get a little unconventional but still serve a delicious meal, try eating it with a crusty bread. It's delicious.
If you make this easy and simple Aloo Matar recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below. Or take a photo and tag me @HolyCowVegan on Instagram!
More recipes with the basic tomato onion sauce:
- Instant Chana Masala
- Aloo Palak or Saag Aloo
- 10-minute Vegan Dal
- Vegan Methi Malai Paneer Tofu
- Easy Vegan Chick'n Curry with Potatoes and Coconut Milk
- Sarson ka Saag, a North Indian Mustard Greens Curry
More Indian vegan recipes
Aloo Matar Recipe
Easy Aloo Matar
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1.5 cups basic tomato onion sauce
- 1.5 pounds potatoes (about 5-6 medium, cut in a small dice)
- 12 oz green peas (about 2 cups, fresh or frozen both work)
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start out by heating the vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add cumin seeds and when they start to darken, add the basic tomato onion sauce. Stir well, and let the sauce come to a boil.
- Add the potatoes and, if you're using fresh green peas, add them at this time. Add 2 cups of water. Once the potatoes are cooked, and if you're using frozen green peas, add at this time.
- Let the sauce return to a boil. If at any time the sauce appears too thick, add some water. You don't want your aloo matar to be extremely saucy, but it should have enough sauce that you can scoop it up with a roti or naan.
- Add salt and turn off the heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Rick Johnson
Hi, Vaishali - I love holycowvegan, and have made several dishes you have posted. When I saw the homemade naan, I had to try it! I had several containers of tomato/onion sauce in the freezer from a few months ago, so I made chana masala and aloo matar to go with the naan. The naan was fantastic - I can't wait to make it for more family when we get together! The chana masala was delicious, but my wife and I agreed that the aloo matar was kind of bland. We have lots of leftovers (I never cook for just one meal!) - what would you recommend I add to it to punch up the flavor? Thanks for the recipes, and keep'em coming!
Vaishali
Hi Rick, thanks for your kind words, and happy you enjoyed the naan and chana masala. For the aloo matar, you could add a teaspoon or more of garam masala if you want more complexity. I'd advise starting with less and adding more, because different blends have different intensities, so hard to give an exact amount. Add the garam masala toward the end of cooking. Hope that helps! 🙂
Cindy
This is by far the easiest and tastiest aloo matar I've made. I whipped up a batch of your tomato onion sauce and this was the first recipe I tried. Looking forward to making the others.