Aloo Gobi Matar
Indian Aloo Gobi Matar is a satisfyingly spicy vegetable curry made with tender cauliflower, potatoes, and green peas. The masala curry base consists of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and serrano chiles for a sharp, spicy, and aromatic flavor. Plate with white rice for a vegetarian main course, or serve it as a side.
Aloo gobi matar, or aloo matar gobi, is a deliciously spiced curry made primarily from vegetables. “Aloo,” “gobi,” and “matar” translate to “potato,” “cauliflower,” and “peas.” And those are the veggies that make the bulk of the dish.
Indian in origin, you’ll find a number of strong, warm Indian spices in this recipe: garam masala, fenugreek, turmeric, and coriander are just a few.
Feel free to add more vegetables to your aloo gobi matar! Cabbage, okra, eggplant, and carrots are all popular curry ingredients. Any one of them, or even all of them, would fit right in.
You can make this dish vegan by replacing the ghee with vegetable oil. The same goes for Rajma Chawal, or bean curry, and Kala Chana, or black chickpea curry.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- White Potatoes – Russet potatoes are ideal. Yukon Gold or red potatoes are perfectly fine to use as well.
- Cauliflower – While cauliflower is the traditional choice, don’t hesitate to throw in some broccoli as well.
- Green Peas – You can use fresh or frozen. I wouldn’t use canned, as the texture is rather mushy and the flavor is bland.
- Fenugreek Leaves – This bitter herb has a subtle maple syrup flavor that is hard to replace. Use fennel seeds if you absolutely must replace them, but I highly recommend using fenugreek if at all possible.
- Ghee – You may also use vegetable oil instead.
- Indian Bay Leaves – These leaves have a mild spice that is similar to cinnamon and clove.
- Cumin Seeds & Coriander – Cumin is hearty and earthy while coriander is sweeter and not as heavy. Both are citrusy, and are often found together.
- Turmeric – This ingredient gives aloo matar gobi its iconic yellow color and peppery heat.
- Red Chili Powder – To add a very mild heat. Paprika or cayenne are possible substitutes.
- Garam Masala – A blend of Indian spices including nutmeg, cardamom, anise, and cinnamon.
- Masala Base – A purée of red onion, roma tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and Serrano chiles. Fresh ginger can be substituted with a tablespoon of ginger paste. For slightly less heat but a similar flavor, swap out the serrano peppers for jalapeños.
masala base: tomatoes, onion, chilis, ginger, garlic pureed and then excess water drained
spices and bay leaf added cooked down and reduced
HOW TO MAKE ALOO GOBI MATAR
1. Make the Masala Base. Blend the onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and chile peppers in a food processor. You can blend until totally smooth, or leave a bit of chunks for texture. Pour the mixture into a sieve and press with the back of a spoon to release as much excess water as possible.
2. Fry the Seasonings. Heat the ghee or oil in your skillet. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato onion purée, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, and coriander. Stir to combine, cover, and let cook for 8 minutes over low heat.
3. Cook the Vegetables. Transfer the chopped potatoes and cauliflower to the skillet. Pour 3 cups of water into the mixture and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Lower the heat once more and let simmer for 15 minutes while the veggies become tender.
4. Add the Peas & Fenugreek. Remove the skillet from the heat before adding the peas and fenugreek.
5. Serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve! Plate with fresh naan or fluffy rice to soak up the curry sauce.
How to make Aloo Gobi Matar?
It’s an easy, four step process that only takes about 30 minutes. You first need to create a spicy pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger purée that is fried alongside a couple of other common Indian seasonings. This purée is watered and cooked down with cauliflower and potatoes into a thick, mouthwateringly rich and hearty curry sauce. Throw in the peas, and it’s done!
These spices and seasonings are easy to find in any grocery store, and the vegetables can be used either frozen and fresh. It’s a quick and easy dish that can be made any time of the year.
What is the best way to reheat Aloo Matar Gobi?
I recommend simply pouring leftover aloo gobi matar into your skillet or pot and reheating over a medium heat, stirring all the while, until the potatoes have completely warmed through.
You can also reheat in the microwave in 30 second bursts, but I don’t recommend it. The potatoes, sauce, and cauliflower take vastly different amounts of time to warm through, and the microwave will cause uneven heating and alter the texture of the sauce.
How many calories does Aloo Gobi Matar have?
Very few, you’ll be pleased to find! This dish is full of hearty, filling, and healthy vegetables and comes down to just 170 calories.
Aloo Gobi Matar
Ingredients
- 2 cups white potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
Masala Base
- 1 cup red onion rough chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes rough chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled (or 1 tbsp ginger paste)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Serrano chiles rough chopped
- 2 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
- 2 small Indian bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, pulse the the onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chili until almost pureed (I prefer a little texture). Pour into sieve over bowl, and using spoon or spatula, press to extract excess water. Discard water and set aside.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet with lid. Fry the cumin seeds with bay leaves for 1 minute. Pour in pureed vegetables, salt, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and ground coriander. Stir and cook on low for 8 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cauliflower and 3 cups of water, stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cover. Turn heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender.
- Remove from heat, add frozen peas and fenugreek leaves. Stir and season to taste if salt needed.
- Serve as a side dish with or over rice as a main dish.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the recipe. When I attempted it yesterday. the Aloo Gobi Mattar came out soupy instead of dry. Did you really mean to say 3 cups of water in the recipe (instead of 3 ounces?). Or perhaps I missed something important?
I got it to a boil and let it simmer for 15 minutes.. and then simmered it for 10 more minutes, still soupy.
It is not a dry dish and the curry gravy is loose Jack. You could lessen the amount of water to 2 cups if preferred. I believe the images showing the dish may give that impression due to them being stacked in the serving dish, but the curry gravy is on the bottom.
Loving your indian recipes and i approved all indian recipes as am indian btw cant wait to make your recipes soon for me
Thanks so much Ramya! 🙂
I love Indian food and this is a favorite of my husband. I haven’t made it in a long time, I need to do this one night soon.
I hope this hits the spot Cathy, one of my favorites for comfort food goodness. 🙂