Indian cuisine has an impressive variety of dishes made with vegetables. Vegetables are cooked in so many different ways that you cannot exhaust these recipes even after trying one new recipe in every single meal for an entire year. Dal-chawal (lentil curry with rice) and roti-sabzi (Indian flat bread with a vegetable dish) are the staple diet for most Indians. The vegetables are generally cooked in two different ways – dry and with gravy. Today I am sharing a very simple but delicious and popular Indian vegetable dish called dry aloo matar. In India, it’s more commonly known as sookhe aloo matar or aloo matar ki sookhi sabzi. This dish is made with potatoes and green peas. Though it can be enjoyed at any time of the year, it tastes the best when made with fresh green peas during winter. Serve it with crispy paratha (Indian flatbread) and a cup of Indian ginger tea on a cold morning. Nothing could be more satisfying.
This Indian potato and peas dish is eaten both in dry form and with gravy. Today, I am sharing the recipe for the dry version of aloo matar. As a kid, I loved carrying aloo matar with plain Paratha (Indian fried flatbread) in my lunch box to school. In India, even the fussy eater kids relish this dish. If you have boiled potatoes in your fridge, this aloo matar can be made in less than 30 minutes.
What’s needed to make aloo matar dry?
For this dry aloo matar recipe, you will need some very basic ingredients that are shown below:
Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
How to make (step-by-step instructions)?
Making aloo matar is very simple. If you already have boiled potatoes in your kitchen the process becomes simpler. It involves only the following main steps: Step 1: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet or pan and add cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Step 2: Add chopped onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Step 3: Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds. Step 4: Add coriander powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder. Step 5: Saute on low heat for around 30 seconds. Powdered spices get burned very fast so don’t cook them on high heat and also don’t leave them unattended. Step 6: Add green peas and salt. Step 7: Saute for about a minute. Step 8: Add around ½ a cup of water and mix. Step 9: Cover the pan and cook for around 4-5 minutes on medium heat i.e. until the peas are cooked. Here I have used frozen peas, if you are using fresh peas they will take a longer time to get cooked. Step 10: Add boiled potato cubes, dried mango powder, and chopped cilantro. Mix everything. Step 11: Cook covered for around 2 minutes. Step 12: Turn off the heat. Garnish with more chopped cilantro. Your quick Indian aloo matar is ready to be served.
How to serve aloo matar?
This simple dish can be eaten at any time of the day and is generally served with Indian bread like roti, paratha, or puri. You can also serve dry aloo matar sabzi as a side dish with rice and dal. Use the leftover aloo matar as stuffing in grilled sandwiches or wraps.
Storing, freezing, and reheating tips
Cooked potatoes go bad quickly so I won’t recommend storing them for long. Store the leftover aloo matar in an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume it within 2 days of cooking. Though in India, the concept of freezing cooked food is not very popular and people generally eat freshly cooked food (within 24 hours of cooking), if you want you can freeze aloo matar ki sabzi in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, add a splash of water and either microwave until evenly heated or reheat on the stovetop in a pan, covered tightly. Do stir once or twice in between.
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
Frequently asked questions
More Indian dry vegetable recipes
If you enjoyed this simple Indian green peas with potatoes dish and want to explore more recipes for Indian-style vegetables without gravy, then don’t miss to check out the following recipes:
Other Indian vegetables with gravy
If you want to make Indian vegetables with gravy then you must try the recipes below: If you liked this recipe, please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the recipe card below. You can also follow me on Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest.
Recipe
