I cannot imagine my life without the pressure cooker. To me, it is the most valuable cooking tool one can have to become a cooking ninja. And I am not just talking about just Indian recipes!
I swear by the pressure cooker because it makes cooking fast, easy, healthy and delicious at the same time. How many kitchen aids can actually boast of that? The instant pot is a crazy obsession in the food world today. But to me, it is exactly the same thing as a pressure cooker. So let’s talk more about the latter since it has been a part of every kitchen household.
This pressure cooker alu matar is so delicious and easy to make. The results are going to shock you because even without using a pot or a pan, it tastes better than take away. No kidding! The cooking takes part in two steps. Step 1 is making the tomato sauce which is the base of the recipe. The second step is to put everything into the pressure cooker, fry well and let it dance together.
Alu Matar is also a perfect recipe to have at the onset of winters. There is an abundance of peas or matar in the market, so get hold of some and get cooking! For best taste, use fresh peas and avoid anything frozen. It might take you some time to peel the peas but it will be so much worth your time and health.
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 30 minutes
Serves – 2-3 people
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes, sliced into four halves each
- 1 large potato, cut in cubes
- 100 g green peas
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 50 g ginger
- 50 g garlic
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp desi ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp dry mango powder (aamchur)
- 1 tbsp black pepper powder
- 250 ml warm water
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- Salt to taste
Directions
- In a grinder, put the roughly chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chilies. Grind it without adding any water and set aside.
2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the bay leaf, followed by the cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter and release their aroma. Do not burn.
3. Add the chopped onions to the ghee and saute till they turn translucent. Add some sugar into the onions. This will help to give it a beautiful brown color and also enable the onions to cook faster. It will also add some sweetness to your final recipe.
4. Once the onions are translucent and soft, add the tomato paste that you just ground. It is important that you cook this tomato mixture with some patience as all the ingredients in it are raw at this point. Keep stirring till the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked, the ginger garlic smell disappears and oil starts to release from the gravy. This will take about ten to fifteen minutes on a medium flame.
5. Once the tomato paste is cooked, season with salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, dry mango powder, and red chili powder. If you do not want too much chili flavor, skip adding the green chilies in the beginning.
6. Saute the masalas well with the tomatoes and onions. Once done, add the potato cubes and the peas. Give it one good mix.
7. Add in some warm water at this point, give it one last mix and close the lid of the pressure cooker.
8. Wait for the pressure cooker to release two whistles and let it cool down naturally till all the steam is released.
9. Take the lid off once cool, add garam masala and stir. 
10. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Enjoy with some hot ghee-laden rotis or parathas!
I hope you try this really easy and delicious alu matar for yourself and enjoy it as much as I do. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me with a comment or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook.
