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Tag: peas

Aloo Mattar Gajjar- Potatos Peas and Carrots- A Delicious Indian Vegetable Dish

Potatoes Carrots and Peas I consider this my quick, easy, go to meal when I have no idea what to make. It is also a pantry dish since I always have potatoes outside in my basket, peas in the freezer and carrots in the fridge. It is an instant side vegetable or even a whole meal.

I decided to make this vegetable with some lentils and fresh rotis. As I was making this vegetarian dish, my daughter’s friend who was visiting asked if she could stay for dinner. I told her it was fine with me but would she be okay with Indian food?? She nodded and said ‘no problem’. Just to make sure I showed her what I had- and her answer was still the same.

I was a bit skeptical if the friend is going to like what she eats only because it would be new to her. I decided to make the fresh rotis and stuff them with the vegetable and roll them up. I asked the girls if they wanted a vegetable roll and they got very excited. I was still quite skeptical about the whole thing and wasn’t sure what I would feed her if she decided not to have what I had cooked.

As I served them the meal, they picked up the rolled rotis and began eating them promptly. It wasn’t a problem at all and I am extremely happy that I was able to introduce a new cuisine to my daughter’s friend. Most of all it is very sweet to see how much they love spending time with each other- especially eating together…

Try this quick dish next time you run out of ideas….
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Coconut Cabbage with Peas

Coconut Cabbage with Peas

After getting back from Italy it took us a while to get back into our usual routine. We all love Italian food but once we got back, we craved other cuisines. We went to our favorite Chinese restaurant the next day and ate some Indian food out of the freezer for dinner.
I soon filled the fridge with groceries and started thinking about cooking again- it’s very hard to get back into it… Pasta kept coming to mind but I knew I wanted to make some vegetarian Indian food. We had consumed quite a bit of meat including salami and prosciutto and wanted to take a break.
While I was in Trader Joes, I picked up a pack of shredded cabbage. I usually never buy the packaged kind but then I get too lazy to buy the whole cabbage and shred it myself. My husband loves cabbage made a specific way with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I never end up making it because of my laziness. So, when I saw the packed cabbage, I picked it up and decided to make him happy.
It’s a very simple dish- the flavor is wonderful with the mustard seeds and curry leaves. I added some shredded coconut to give it a nice crunch and sweetness. I also added frozen peas to give the dish color. It took all of 20 minutes to make. I plan to serve it with lentils and freshly made rotis (Indian bread).
It is great to go on vacation and experience a different culture but it is fabulous to come home and eat food that reminds me of childhood….
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Mattar Paneer- Indian Cheese Cooked with Peas

Mattar Paneer with Gravy I don’t want you to get intimidated by the long ingredient list. This dish is easy to make- just needs a bit of planning and some preparation. It is worth taking the time out and isn’t it great to know how to make one of the very popular dishes served in an Indian restaurant? If you make it at home, you will save money and it will taste a lot better and it will be a lot healthier. You can control the amount of oil, etc you add to the dish. There is usually a lot of butter and cream added to most Indian dishes with gravy.

The secret ingredient in the dish is the baked onions. It gives this dish a slow and long cooked flavor. The onions are baked with a bit of flour which thickens the gravy- perfect!

All the other spices add delicious savory flavor to the dish. Kasuri methi or dry fenugreek is really the key to finish the dish off. For my readers in the Maplewood/South Orange area- there is a new Indian/Sri Lankan grocery store on Irvington Ave in Maplewood- they will have kasuri methi. It is a great ingredient to have in your pantry and lasts a very long time.

Mattar paneer can be served with rice or roti- either way it tastes really good. It’s my husband’s favorite so he is extremely happy whenever I make it for him…
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A Recipe Fit For Royalty: Vegetable Korma

vegetable-kormaI teach cooking classes a couple time a month. I try to come up with a complete and balanced menu that is delicious but easy to make. For last month’s class, I did the chicken malai tikka– I wanted to come up with a vegetable dish people can enjoy. Someone had suggested a navrattan korma- which is a very popular dish in Indian restaurants around here. A korma is a dish with either vegetables or meat cooked in a creamy white sauce. I have never really made a vegetable korma and never really order it at a restaurant either. The reason for not ordering the dish outside is that it is filled with cream and butter. I can’t imagine how many calories are in that small serving!

In my attempt to come up with a healthier version of this dish, I must have looked at hundreds of recipes. I finally came up with the perfect, delicious concoction. In my mind, a korma is creamy, delicate yet full of flavor. I used dry spices to give the dish loads of flavor. The cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, cloves and most of all the black cumin give this dish a very delicate aroma and taste. I tend to use black cumin when I am making a white creamy sauce- unlike regular cumin, this variety has a very floral taste- it’s delicate yet full bodied – the flavor is unmistakable! That being said- if you can’t find this spice, regular cumin will be just fine.  Also, any combination of vegetables is great in this dish. I went with a combination with great aesthetic appeal, full of color.  For the white creamy sauce, I decided to use non-fat evaporated milk with a touch of half and half. The evaporated milk gives the dish great body and taste without any of the fat- how clever was that!! The half and half adds just enough richness without going over the top. To finish off the dish, I added chopped raw cashews and golden raisins. The sweetness of the two ingredients goes very well with the mild creamy dish. To take the korma to another level, I added crumbled paneer- it gives the dish great texture. Overall the dish was a big success. My husband loved it! People at the class enjoyed it as well. We at it with fresh homemade rotis and pink lentils cooked with broccoli rabe- recipe to follow soon!!

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Aloo Mattar Gajar- Potatoes Peas and Carrots

aloo-mattar-gajjarI think of sitting in the sun on a winter day in India when I eat this dish… carrots and peas were  in season only in the winter back then. My Mom would make this vegetable dish and I can still invision the sweet carrots married with the soft mushy potatoes and creamy peas. Somehow the carrots in India are colored red unlike the orange ones we get here- and they are extra sweet and have a more ‘carrot’ flavor! I can’t remember what spices my Mom added to the dish- I do remember the taste of the vegetables really well. She would make a fresh roti, dot some ghee on it and serve the vegetables on the fresh bread- it was delicious! I forget to make this very simple concoction- there isn’t much to it especially now since almost all vegetables are available year round. I always have potatoes in the pantry and peas in the freezer. I usually have baby carrots in the fridge to pack for my daughter’s lunch everyday. I decided to add a little bit of cumin seeds and ginger- I didn’t want a lot of very dominant flavors competing with each other, especially because I decided to add a new ingredient to the dish- dill… I love using this herb- in India it is used as a vegetable- so I decided to use it in here with fresh cilantro. The dish was completely different than the one I grew up with but this one was delicious as well. It tasted more suitable for the summer months- I guess the fresh herbs gave it that effect. 

This dish would be a great accompaniment with store bought naan and some lentils. It would also go really well as a side dish with fish, chicken, pork or even steak! We had it with some brown lentils and home made rotis- it was simple and delicious!!

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Sauteed Cabbage with Peas and Coconut

sauteed-cabbage-with-peas-and-coconut So, the Wilson Farm story continues- the last thing I bought from there was a green cabbage.  Now, cabbage is not my favorite thing to eat but my husband absolutely adores it- and since he was right next to me while we were shopping, he insisted we buy it. He usually enjoys a sauteed cabbage dish that my sister-in-law makes for him but the problem is she lives about 3000 miles away in Seattle!  So, the poor guy doesn’t get to eat the yummy preparation.  Since I have never made it for him, I felt a little sorry and decided to give it a try-how hard could it be, I thought.  My sister-in-law is a great cook so I had quite a task to tackle.  I thought of calling her for the recipe but decided to put my own spin on it instead.  I added peas and coconut to it which gave the dish a really nice sweetness. Once the dish was cooked, it screamed for a little lemon juice to balance all the flavors out- I was quite happy and it actually came out really delicious- even I enjoyed it!  I have to say- I will eat anything that is cooked with mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut!!!  The real judge was my husband- well- I got two thumbs up! He really enjoyed it- a lot, he said!  My daughter tried it reluctantly- but made a strange face- not a bad one though.  I guess you can’t please everyone!!

  • 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
  • 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 7-8 curry leaves
  • 2-3 dry red chilies
  • 2 Serrano chilies, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
  • ½ cup shredded coconut (packaged is fine)
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Juice of half a lemon

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the mustard seeds, red chilies and curry leaves. Cook on high heat for 30 seconds or till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the onions, Serrano chilies and ginger. Saute for 5-6 minutes on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Add the cabbage and coconut, stirring constantly. Add the turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander powder and salt. Stir and lower the heat and cover. Cook the dish covered for at least 20 minutes or till the cabbage is wilted and soft. Take the cover off and increase the heat. Add the peas and stir constantly for 7-8 minutes, careful not to burn. Adjust seasonings and add the lemon juice.

Yellow Pepper Rice with Peas

yellow-pepper-rice-with-peasI remember when I felt a little sick my Mom would give me toast with strawberry jam, some cheese and a cup of milky fennel tea. For dinner she would typically make something light – rice and lentils. That is what I had today- I toasted a piece of baguette for lunch with a little strawberry jam and a slice of asiago cheese. I did make the fennel tea- the fennel aroma helps the stuffy nose. I made toor dal for dinner and was debating what kind of rice to make with the lentils. I was tired of making the same kind of rice, either plain or with onions and peas. I started to think outside the box and remembered I have peppers in the fridge. Initially I imagined cutting a yellow or orange pepper and sautéing it with onion and garlic- but then I thought- maybe I should cook them in the pan and puree them in a blender to make a sauce and cook the rice in it! That is exactly what I did. I have made cilantro rice with the same method so why not any other vegetable! It came our very well and went fabulously with the lentils. I used the yellow pepper but any pepper can be used- my daughter couldn’t guess how the rice turned yellow! This is a great side dish with a steak, chicken or even fish. You can even add grated cheese to it- spicy jack would go really well. Other vegetables can be added also, like mushrooms, asparagus or even spinach. I added raisins to my rice dish- they are optional- I know a lot of people don’t like sweet and savory flavors together. I debated if I should add raisins since my daughter is not a big fan- but I love them so much in my savory dishes that I went ahead and did it anyway. She just picked them out as she ate the rice!

  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chicken broth

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds, pepper, onion, garlic and salt. Saute on low heat and cover for 10 minutes till the mixture gets soft. Blend the onion and pepper mixture with the chicken broth till smooth.

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup frozen petite peas
  • ¼ cup raisins, optional

Pour the smooth sauce back in the pot and cook on medium heat. Stir constantly and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and sauté for a minute. Next, add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat when the broth evaporates and big holes begin to form on the surface. Add salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and raisins, cover and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.