food : instant pot aloo mater
My family recently drove 45 minutes to try a Himalayan restaurant in a neighboring town. We ordered the aloo matar and really liked it, but there was no spicy flavor... which bummed us out a little bit. Maybe Himalayan food is less spicy than I cook my dishes. I had made aloo matar before, but the result was no good. I had been using canned tomatoes and taking some other "shortcuts" that took just as long. Fast forward to finding a new recipe and adapting it to the instant pot tonight. This was just delicious and was eaten very fast by the whole family.
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | tsp | Oil (any neutral oil is fine) |
| 0.25 | tsp | Cinnamon (or 1" of stick) |
| 2 | Green cardamom pods | |
| 1 | tsp | Fenugreek / kasuri methi |
| 1.5 | tsp | Cumin seeds |
| 0.5 | tsp | Turmeric |
| 1.5 | tsp | Red chili powder (New Mexico, for example) |
| 0.5 | tsp | Cayenne pepper (optional) |
| 0.5 | tsp | Coriander powder |
| 1 | Onion, finely chopped or grated | |
| 1 | tsp | Ginger/garlic paste |
| 2 | Tomato, finely chopped or pureed | |
| 2 | Potato, peeled and cubed | |
| 1 | tsp | Salt |
| 0.5 | Cup | Frozen peas |
| 1.25 | Cup | Water |
| 1 | Serano, slit a few times horizontally | |
| 0.5 | tsp | Garam masala |
| 2 | Tbsp | Cilantro |
Instructions
- Set instant pot to saute and add oil, cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, and cumin seeds once instant pot is hot. Saute until fragrant (~30 seconds).
- Add the turmeric, chili powder, cayenne (if using), and corriander powder. Saute ~30 seconds.
- Add the onion and stir/saute until onion starts to become soft and blends well with the spices.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste and saute for a minute, or until the smell of raw ginger and garlic goes away.
- Add the tomatoes and saute until they turn mushy and all ingredients start to form a paste.
- Add the potato and salt. Stir and saute for one more minute.
- Add the peas, water, and serano, stir.
- Cancel saute mode, put the lid on, set the valve to sealing, and turn on manual/pressure cook mode for 7 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Take off the lid, stir, and mash a few pieces of potato to adjust the consistency. Alternatively, add water if desired.
- Add garam masala and cilantro, stir.
- Serve with rice or chapati/roti/etc.
Notes
- It tastes good a bit on the soupy side.
- The first time I made it I pressure cooked for 8 minutes. I felt like this was too much and made the potato too soft. If you find that the potato is too firm at 7 minutes, simply add a minute.