
Brittany Aldridge
Mattar Batata
This beautifully fragrant, golden potato curry is super quick and easy, and makes use of everyday ingredients for truly no-fuss cooking.
Packed full of tantalising spices this mattar batata is nutritious, delicious and a perfectly warming vegetarian dinner for any time of the week. My recipe is slightly different from the original; the traditional recipe is of Gujarati origin (based on Manjula Goka’s) which doesn’t contain onions, garlic or ginger. Although mine here does because I think it creates such a beautiful flavour and aroma.
This recipe serves 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (light olive and coconut is also fine)
50 grams of butter
4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 head of cauliflower broken into florets
1 onion, finely diced
1 1inch knob of ginger, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds (or ground)
1 1/2 teaspoons of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
2 teaspoons of curry powder
1 lemongrass root, crushed and outer layer removed
1 bay leaf
1-2 cups of water
1/2 cup off frozen peas or beans, defrosted
2 teaspoons of salt, or to taste
1 400gram can of tomatoes
Optional: sliced parsley and red onion to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the oil and butter into a large pot or Dutch oven and set to medium-high heat. When the oil has heated, add all the spices, onions, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent around 7 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook them until they brown a little. Add the water (enough to cover the potatoes 1-2 cups), salt, bay leaf, can of tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the lemongrass and bay leaf.
After 30 minutes (and the potatoes are cooked through) add the cauliflower and frozen peas then cook for a further 15 minutes, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary with salt or honey.
To serve; ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Please enjoy!