Instant Pot Aloo Matar

My family recently drove 45 minutes to try a Himalayan restaurant in a neighboring town. We ordered the aloo matar and really liked it, but there was no spicy flavor... which bummed us out a little bit. Maybe Himalayan food is less spicy than I cook my dishes. I had made aloo matar before, but the result was no good. I had been using canned tomatoes and taking some other "shortcuts" that took just as long. Fast forward to finding a new recipe and adapting it to the instant pot tonight. This was just delicious and was eaten very fast by the whole family.

Ingredients

4 t Oil (any neutral oil is fine)

0.25 t Cinnamon (or 1" of stick)

2 Green cardamom pods

1 t Fenugreek / kasuri methi

1.5 t Cumin seeds

0.5 t Turmeric

1.5 t Red chili powder (New Mexico, for example)

0.5 t Cayenne pepper (optional)

0.5 t Coriander powder

1 Onion, finely chopped or grated

1 t Ginger/garlic paste

2 Tomato, finely chopped or pureed

2 Potato, peeled and cubed

1 t Salt

0.5 C Frozen peas

1.25 C Water

1 Serano, slit a few times horizontally

0.5 t Garam masala

2 T Cilantro

Instructions

1. Set instant pot to saute and add oil, cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, and cumin seeds once instant pot is hot. Saute until fragrant (~30 seconds).

2. Add the turmeric, chili powder, cayenne (if using), and corriander powder. Saute ~30 seconds.

3. Add the onion and stire/saute until onion starts to become soft and blends well with the spices.

4. Add the ginger/garlic paste and saute for a minute, or until the smell of raw ginger and garlic goes away.

5. Add the tomatoes and saute until they turn mushy and all ingredients start to form a paste.

6. Add the potato and salt. Stir and saute for one more minute.

7. Add the peas, water, and serano, stir.

8. Cancel saute mode, put the lid on, set the valve to sealing, and turn on manual/pressure cook mode for 7 minutes.

9. Allow pressure to release naturally.

10. Take off the lid, stir, and mash a few pieces of potato to adjust the consistency. Alternatively, add water if desired.

11. Add garam masala and cilantro, stir.

12. Serve with rice or chapati/roti/etc.

Notes

• It tastes good a bit ont he soupy side.

• The first time I made it I pressure cooked for 8 minutes. I felt like this was too much and made the potato too soft. If you find that the potato is too firm at 7 minutes, simply add a minute.