I love my Dad for many reasons. He is wise beyond his years, insightful, resourceful and smart. He’s deeply spiritual, good humored and youthful. One of the things I appreciate most about him is exposing me to many things at a young age. As a pre-teen I was reading the autobiographies of Angela Davis and Malcolm X, in my teens The Isis Paper and Aristotle. From my youth, he took me many places he went: adult business meetings, concerts, to the harbor to skip rocks. These were especially treasured moments because in my early youth, we didn’t live together so I eagerly anticipated him coming to pick me up and take me away for an exciting adventure beyond my housing project.

But some of my most vivid memories are of us dining at Indian Restaurants.

To this date, Indian food remains my favorite. Out of my love for Indian food, I’ve read COUNTLESS Indian cookbooks and even declare I have an Indian Aunty that taught me to cook breads (though we’ve never met. I highly recommend you visit my Aunty Manjula by CLICKING HERE).

This is the first Indian dish I taught myself to make. It is the second meal (after spaghetti) that I taught my daughter to make when she was nine years old.

Aloo means potato and matar peas. [bctt tweet=”This is a kid fav because it is creamy, mild and a little sweet. Aloo Matar”]

Based on regional differences, some make the gravy by blending the tomatoes; some add different creams such as yogurt, ground cashews or coconut milk. So here’s my take on Aloo Matar. This dish also won me a special place in my husband’s heart. It was one of the first meals I cooked for him and to date is his second favorite meal of all time. At the time he was a serious meat eater but with this good home cooking, he soon became a vegetarian.

Aloo Matar

16 oz green peas

12 oz potatoes bar boiled & diced (about 3 medium potatoes)

8 oz tomatoes diced

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp grated ginger

8 oz coconut milk

½ cup water

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp coriander

½ tsp chili powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger cook additional 2 minutes. Add spices and cook 1 minute. Add tomato and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes, coconut milk and water. Cook about 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Lastly add green peas. Cook just a few minutes more. You want peas bright green and just tender so be careful not to overcook. The heat from the pot is really enough to cook the peas. Serve with basmati rice or naan or paratha.

*let me add I’m usually a little heavy handed with my spices so I use more. Start with these measurements then adjust to your liking adding more if you desire. Not too much tumeric though.

Enjoy!

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect and share with friends at Plant-Based Potluck