Recipes: Corn, Peas and Peanut Curry

Some weeks back, I had to make a sabzi for lunch, but was not in a mood to cook and also had nothing really likeable in the fridge. So I decided to raid my freezer and see what I can come up with and this curry was the result. This took me about 30 minutes in total to make, including about 20-25 minutes of soaking time with the actual curry taking less than 10 minutes to make. It was quite delicious to eat.

Corn, Peas and Peanut Curry

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 cup frozen yellow corn
  • ½ cup raw peanuts
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Method:

  • Soak the corn, peas, and peanuts in a bowl with hot water for at least 30 minutes.
  • Salt the water, cook the vegetables and peanuts on the stovetop or microwave for 5 minutes, and drain.
  • Heat the oil in a pan, and when the oil heats up, add the cumin seeds and let them pop.
  • Once the cumin pops, add in the drained vegetables and stir well.
  • Season with salt and pepper and let it cook covered on a low to medium flame for 5 minutes.
  • Switch off the gas, drizzle lemon juice if using, and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Recipes: Peanut Tomato Chutney

I am a huge fan of chutneys, believing that these really add something to your meal. I also believe that chutneys are very versatile, going well with full Indian meals as an accompaniment and you can also slather them on a slice of bread for a quick snack or even use them for lunch box ideas for your children or even yourself!

I usually have some chutney or the other in the fridge and I was looking for ideas to extend my chutney repertoire when I chanced upon the Andhra style Peanut and Tomato chutney. The recipe intrigued me and so I decided to tweak it a bit to make it my own (as I am usually wont to do). It was a surprise hit and a definite keeper. I made it slightly spicier than usual, so do keep that in mind when you make it yourself.

This is also a no-onion, no-garlic recipe, so it’s good for days when you don’t add these ingredients to your food!

Tomato Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 6-7 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup raw peanuts
  • 7-8 fresh red chillies (can substitute with dried red chillies also)
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp gingelly oil
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Chop the tomatoes, ginger and red chillies and keep aside
  • If using dried chillies, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and keep aside.
  • Heat gingelly oil in a pan and when warm, add the mustard seeds
  • When the seeds pop, add the fenugreek seeds and the sesame seeds and let them pop.
  • When the seeds pop, add the peanuts and stir till the peanuts start popping and the skin starts to split.
  • Then add the chopped tomatoes, chillies and ginger and season with salt and asafoetida and let them cook until the tomatoes become mushy.
  • Switch off the gas and let it cool completely.
  • Blend into a smooth chutney using as little water as possible.
  • This goes very well with idlis, dosa, adai, rotis and even bread.

Recipe: Peanut, Ginger & Sesame Chutney

IMG_6059Most Thursdays we cook without onions and garlic as this is S does not eat these as part of his religious belief. Most Thursdays, lunch is not a problem, but dinner takes some thinking. We usually make idlis or dosas for dinner, but chutneys without coconut which do not have onions or garlic is a bit tricky.

This week, I also ran out of some coconut, and found I had just a few tablespoons of peanuts, so I came up with this chutney which incorporates ingredients I found in my pantry.

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Peanut, Ginger and Sesame Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsps raw peanuts
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tbsps white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsps ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 5-6 dried red chillies
  • 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to blend the chutney

Method:

  • In a dry pan, dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.
  • Put ½ tsp oil in the same pan and when the oil heats, fry the chana dal and the peanuts until the chana dal becomes slightly brown and the peanuts crisp. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, dried red chillies and the tamarind and fry until the curry leaves becomes crisp.
  • Let everything cool down completely and blend until smooth in a blender or mixer. Add water to help you blend.
  • Salt the chutney according to taste and serve with idlis, dosas or even as a dip.

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