Tamatar Aloo – Potato and Tomato Stew
Tamatar aloo is a simple Indian potato dish with tomato. The name is Hindi: tamatar means tomato, aloo means potato. It is everyday food in northern India and takes around 20 minutes.
The flavour is built in two layers. First, mustard seeds are made to pop in hot oil, then the potatoes fry with turmeric, chilli and paprika until the spices have settled in. Lemon juice and a little sugar balance the whole thing, and the tomatoes cook in at the end so they hold their shape but give the dish some sauce.
Serve with chapati or rice as a vegetarian dish, or use it as a side to a meat dish.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 250 g potatoes, cut into small cubes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 250 g tomatoes, quartered
- salt
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped, to garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
Add the mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop and jump in the pot. This takes only a couple of seconds.
Add the potatoes and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, so they are evenly coated in the oil.
Add the turmeric, chilli powder, paprika, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir well and fry for a further 5 minutes so the spices have time to settle onto the potatoes.
Add the tomatoes and stir gently. Put the lid on and leave to simmer for 5–10 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the tomatoes have cooked down but still hold their shape.
Season with salt. Arrange on a dish and scatter with chopped coriander leaves.
Notes
The dish is good with chapati or rice as a vegetarian main, or as a side to a meat dish.
The amount of chilli powder suits a mild variety such as Kashmiri. If you are using a hotter type, start with half and taste as you go.
Small potato cubes means about 1 cm — that way they will be tender within the cooking time.
See Also
Cucumber Raita (Kheera Raita)
Mint Raita
Green Chutney
Tamarind Chutney
