Aloo matar

No matter how long it’s been since my last visit to India, every time I prepare aloo matar, I remember the waiter who served us in a restaurant somewhere north of Mumbai.

The menu was neither in English or Hindi. When we asked him about an item on the menu, he told us in English, peas and potatoes. Unfortunately, his English was too accented for us to understand so we suggested he speak Hindi. We still couldn’t catch that he was saying aloo matar. We gave up and ordered the dish anyway.

Remembering this each time I cook aloo matar brings a smile to my face because the poor man was doing his best.