Aloo Tomato

When you are in a hurry with limited items in your pantry, you not only need a quick fix for lunch or dinner, but also tasty one. Tomato potato or aloo tamatar curry is a non-nonsense dish with the right amount of umami and goes perfectly well with flatbreads and rice.

Aloo tomato also serves as a one-pot meal by itself; after a hard day at work, you can surely bank on a plate of spicy and savoury aloo tomato to bring all the comfort and warmth you need before hitting the sack. Aloo tomato is a dish native to the North of India and doesn’t require a whole menagerie of ingredients to make. The curry is a staple in Indian menus for a quick meal when you are short on ingredients. This recipe is just as easy and quick and makes a delicious dish which goes well with any kind of bread and even rice.

Health Benefits

Tomatoes and potatoes are both rich in plenty minerals and vitamins that are essential for the human body. Tomatoes in particular are known to be helpful in preventing heart diseases and cancer. They are abundant in Vitamin K1, B9, C and Potassium.

As both vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, they are beneficial for the digestive system and help regulate blood sugar and cholesterol.

Calories per serving: 174 Kcal

Fat per serving: 5g

Carbohydrates per serving: 31 g

Protein per serving: 4g

Ingredients

medium potatoes (cubed): 3

tsp black mustard seeds: 1/2

tsp cumin seeds: 1

A pinch asafoetida: 1

tsp turmeric powder: 1/2

tsp red chili powder: 1/2

tsp black pepper powder: 1/4

tsp garam masala powder: 1/4

tsp coriander powder: 1/2

salt to taste

chopped green chilies: 1-2

inch ginger piece (coarsely chopped): 1

curry leaves: 5-6

tsp dry fenugreek leaves: 1/4

cup water: 1 1/2

tbsp Ghee/Oil: 1

Fistful fresh coriander leaves

How To Make Aloo Tomato

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame and add mustard seeds.
2. When mustard seed start to crackle, add cumin seeds and fry for about 3 seconds.
3. Turn the heat to low and add asafoetida, curry leaves, ginger and green chilies and stir for a few seconds
4. Add tomatoes and sauté until they become soft and release oil on the sides.
5. Add potatoes and water to the cooker; mix well, cover with lid and cook up to 1 whistle.
6. Let the pressure subside before removing the lid.
7. Sprinkle dry fenugreek and coriander and serve hot.
8. You can add a teaspoon of fresh cream if you want a richer curry.

Trivia

• Ireland, which is known for their potatoes, suffered a great famine in 1845-1852, which was caused by a disease in the potatoes called blight. The disease led to devastation and death of more than 1 million people who were dependent on potatoes.
• Potatoes was initially cultivated in Spain, and got the name from the word patata. They introduced potatoes to Europe in early 1500s.
• The scientific name for tomatoes is Lycopersicon lycopersicum, which means wolf peach.

There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes, which come in red, green, purple, black, white and yellow colors.