Mathura Aloo - Potatoes in fenugreek & tomato gravy

If you are an Indian, you would probably have heard about the famous Mathura Pedas (Milk fudge), Mathura ki Matra Chaat and their breakfast speciality – Aloo Sabzi and Kachori ! Yeah you guessed it right.. I bring to you that same Aloo Sabzi today which also happens to be my “forte” recipe. Read on.

My family hails from Uttar pradesh and though i have not really spent any time in UP, the family has some heirloom recipes which traveled with my grand parents when they shifted base to Delhi many many years ago. Those recipes have been made and re-made with small tweaks and twists over the years but the flavors remain intact – Delicious and rustic, every single time ! Mathura’s Aloo is one such recipe and today i am sharing the recipe which my mother makes and i complete adore 🙂

If i am not wrong, i have eaten this gravy dish atleast a 100 times at home and have such fond memories associated with it. It is a no brainer that my mother makes one of the best versions of this dish and i always dream of making it as good as hers…maybe one day ! If you look at the recipe, it is fairly simple and does not really have many steps but it needs time to cook and that is one key ingredient in this recipe – Patience 🙂

Mathura Aloo Sabzi – Potatoes in fenugreek and tomato gravy

Mathura Aloo Sabzi

Servings: 4-6
Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: medium
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mathura dubli aloo 1 copy

Ingredients

Note : My recipe uses tomatoes but feel free to make the recipe without tomatoes for a typical Mathura style Dubki Aloo

potatoes- 4-5 medium , peeled and boiled
tomatoes- 3 large / 4 medium , pureed
tomato paste- 1 tablespoon
dry fenugreek leaves- 1 tsp
ginger- 1 inch , chopped roughly
Ghee- 1 tablespoon (clarified butter)
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Whole dried spices (2 bay leaves, 4-5 cloves, 2 big black cardamom, 1 stick cinnamon)
asafoetida powder- 1/2 tsp
fenugreek seeds/ methi dana – 1 tsp
fennel seeds/ saunf -1 tsp
coriander seeds -1 tsp
red chilies – 2 whole
green chili- 2 medium, slit in between
water- 2 cups
salt to taste
red chili powder to taste
turmeric -1/2 tsp
dry mango powder – 1 tsp
coriander powder -1 tablespoon
garam masala – 1 tsp
handful of fresh coriander, chopped for garnishing

Method

Preparing the tempering/Tadka

Take a pan and add oil and ghee into it. Heat it up. Add in whole spices and let it saute for a couple of seconds or till they start to infuse the oil with its aroma.Add in asafoetida powder, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and whole red chilies. Fry for a couple of seconds.
Now, add in the tomato puree, turmeric powder, slit green chilies, dry fenugreek leaves, grated ginger and salt. Cook on medium high for a couple of minutes or till the tomato puree cooks down and it starts to leave oil. This may take upto 15 minutes.
Add in tomato paste, water, red chili powder, coriander powder and dry mango powder. Mix. Bring the heat up to high and let the gravy boil.
Once the gravy boils, add in chopped boiled potatoes and mix. Bring down the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid. Let the potatoes cook in the gravy on simmer for the next 30-35 minutes.
Taste the curry and adjust the spices as needed. Sprinkle garam masala and fresh coriander on top. Serve warm the traditional way with Kachoris, pooris or parathas OR make your own combo with rice, naans or even samosas !

The typical Mathura Aloo recipe is made without onions, garlic and tomatoes but this gravy dish uses tomatoes. I guess my grandmother’s version had tomatoes in them and it has traveled to me in that same form. My mother perfected it over the years and every time i make it, i try to bring the flavours as close to hers as possible 🙂 Sharing my family recipe with you all here makes me really happy – almost like sharing treasure 🙂 Try it !

Some flatbreads to enjoy along with these Mathura Aloo :