Mushroom Aloo Matar

Curried Potatoes with Peas and Mushrooms

Hardware

• 4 quart sauce pot
• Large saute pan
• 5 quart sauteuse pan

Ingredients

4			potatoes, peeled and cubed
			vegetable oil
1 1/2	lbs		white mushrooms, sliced
1 - 2			onions, cut into small wedges
1	head		garlic, minced
2	Tblsp		coriander powder
1	tsp		fennel seeds
1/4	tsp		turmeric
1	tsp		sweet paprika
			water
1	tsp		cumin seeds
1/8	tsp		asafoetida (hing) powder
2	med		tomatoes, chopped
1	cup		peas (frozen)
			salt
1	tsp		garam masala
1	Tblsp		tomato paste

Procedure

1. In a sauce pot, cook the potatoes until just tender; do not overcook them. Drain and set aside; remove 1/4 to 1/2 cup of potatoes and mash.


2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat some oil in the saute pan and cook the mushrooms over a low - medium heat; you want them to soften and give up their juices but you don’t want them to turn brown. Drain and set aside.


3. Heat some more oil then saute the onions until soft and golden (but not brown); when the onions are almost finished, add the garlic; finish cooking and set aside.


4. If anything is stuck to the saute pan, deglaze it with a bit of water; save the liquid.


5. Combine the coriander, fennel seeds, turmeric, paprika, and enough water to make a medium-thick paste.


6. In the (clean, unused) sauteuse pan, heat about 2 Tblsp of oil then add the cumin seeds; they should start to crackle right away; stir constantly. If they start to burn, your oil was too hot; throw it out, clean the pan, and start again.


7. Add the asafoetida and cook for 30 seconds; add the spice paste and cook (stirring frequently) for a minute or two. Be careful not to let the mixture burn.


8. Add the tomatoes and just enough water to simmer the tomatoes; stir well to deglaze any spices that may have stuck to the pan.


9. Add the peas and a little more water; stir, then cook (covered) until the peas are just soft.


10. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, garam masala, tomato paste, the mashed potatoes (but not the chunks), any liquid that was used to deglaze the saute pan, and enough water to make the desired amount of gravy; cook (covered) until everything is hot.


11. Add the potatoes, mix well, and cook (covered) for about 4 minutes.

Notes

Have all ingredients prepared and measured before starting. You have a little bit of leeway while the potatoes are cooking but after that things move rather quickly.

Cut the potatoes into “bite-size” cubes, about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes.

For a more spicy dish, use half-sharp paprika or put in some chopped fresh chiles with the onions and garlic.

Precise measurements are not required but be careful with the asafoetida (hing); it’s easy to use too much. Until you’re familiar with it, use it only in small quantities.

Rating

Difficulty:		Moderate
Time:		?
Precision:		3

Source

A combination of several recipes plus some experimentation.