Peas and potatoes in tomato sauce

Name: Peas and potatoes in tomato sauce
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 4 green cardamom pods, bruised; 10 ml/2 tsp sugar; 450 g/1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes; 60 ml/4 tbsp mustard oil or sunflower oil; 60 ml/4 tbsp mustard oil or sunflower oil; 115 g/4 oz frozen garden peas; 5 ml/1 tsp salt, or to taste; 115 g/4 oz canned chopped tomatoes, with their juice; 2.5-5 ml/½-1 tsp chilli powder; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground turmeric; 5 ml/1 tsp ground coriander; 10 ml/2 tsp ground cumin; 2 cloves; Indian bread or boiled rice, to serve; fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into julienne strips, and sprigs of fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish; Indian bread or boiled rice, to serve; 2.5 ml/½ tsp garam masala; 15 ml/1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Indian Regional Cookbook

By Mridula Baljekar

Published 2017

About

The Bengali community takes great pride in this simple but exquisite dish, Alu Matarer Dalna, in which plump fresh peas with turmeric-tinged potatoes float in a rich tomato sauce. The sharp lemony taste of cardamom, musky ginger and warm cumin produce an unforgettable flavour combination.

Ingredients

60 ml/4 tbsp mustard oil or sunflower oil
450 g/1

Asia
India
East India
Main course
Vegan

Method

Heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until smoking point is reached (if using sunflower oil, heat until hot). Add the potatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes, until the edges brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Heat the remaining oil until it begins to smoke. Remove from the heat and add the sugar. As soon as it begins to caramelize, add the