Aloo Matar

The fertile lands and bustling culture of Punjab has gifted the country with a long list of lip-smacking curries cooked with butter in amounts as generous as the people of the region. Punjab’s host of vegetarian dishes offer a splendid culmination of the omnipresent potato and the seasonal charm of the green peas in what is popularly known today as the Aloo Matar. However, it would be wrong to assume that the taste palette of this delicious dish is as simple as its nomenclature. 

For making the perfect pot of Aloo Matar, a stock of endemic as well as peregrine spices is first sautéed in hot oil or butter, followed by the addition of onions, ginger, garlic, and finely chopped tomatoes. For the ardent vegetarians, onion is sometimes omitted, leading to a different flavour profile, equally enjoyable. Once browned, water is added to the spice and vegetable mix along with the namesake ingredients, aloo (potato) and matar (green peas). The finished product is one creamy and flavoursome curry that can give any meat delicacy a run for its money.

While green peas have been common in the subcontinent from the latter half of the second millennium BC, potatoes are a significantly more recent admission. Archaeological evidence hints at the widespread growth of peas in the ancient Mediterranean and the Middle East. Probably, the seeds dispersed far and wide with travellers, resulting in green peas being introduced to Harappan societies and its later advancement to the Gangetic plains. 

Potatoes, on the other hand, were introduced by the Portuguese and then popularised as Batata by the British East India Company in the 18th century. One of the other crucial ingredients for making Aloo Matar’s characteristic tangy gravy is the tomato. It is believed that the tomato appeared in India with Portuguese merchants in the 16th century and soon took over Indian gravies as a trusted base.

As for the dish itself, Aloo Matar appears to be of Punjabi origin. Ever since the popularisation of potato and tomato cultivation in the 19th century, many vegetarian dishes incorporating the newly found vegetables seems to have emerged out of Punjab’s agrarian culture, the Aloo Matar being one of them. For a traditional Punjabi household, this signature dish is best served with hot flatbreads like Roti, Paratha, and Naan or occasionally a bowl of the luxurious Basmati rice.