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.
A restaurant staple, Methi Malai Matar is a popular North Indian dish known for its creamy texture and delightful combination of fenugreek leaves, or methi, green peas, or mattar, Indian cottage cheese, or paneer and a rich cream-based gravy. Its origin can be traced back to the Indian state of Punjab, where rich and indulgent dishes are prevalent due to the region’s farming and dairy culture. The dish gained popularity over time due to its exquisite flavor profile, combining the slight bitterness of methi with the sweetness of green peas and the richness of cream. I had made this sometime earlier in the year and forgot about it until I chanced upon the photo while clearing my phone’s photo gallery.
Methi Malai Mattar Paneer
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh fenugreek leaves or methi, washed and finely chopped
1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
200 gm paneer, cubed
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
½ cup fresh cream or yoghurt.
2 tbsp oil or ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (more or less according to your spice preference)
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
2 tbsp kasuri methi
Salt to taste
Water, as needed
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
Heat oil or ghee in a pan or kadai over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Add finely chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent and golden brown.
Stir in ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a couple of minutes until the raw aroma disappears.
Add the finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft and the oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix well and cook for a few more minutes to blend the spices.
Add the chopped methi or fenugreek leaves to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes until they wilt and become tender. Stir occasionally.
Once the methi leaves are cooked, add green peas and paneer cubes to the mixture. Mix gently to combine the ingredients.
Pour in the fresh cream or yoghurt and stir well. If you prefer a creamier consistency, you can adjust the quantity of cream or yoghurt to your liking.
Add water as needed to achieve your desired gravy consistency. Cover the pan and let the curry simmer for 5-7 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
Sprinkle garam masala over the curry and give it a final stir.
Garnish with finely chopped chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or rotis.
Note: You can use cashew paste as a dairy-free alternative and even in the recipe above to make it creamier or for a special occasion.
A dish you find in pretty much every Indian restaurant, Matar Paneer, which means Peas and Paneer, is a yummy dish from the state of Punjab which has fresh or frozen green peas and cottage cheese or Paneer in a smooth onion tomato gravy, spiced with garam masala. Usually served with Indian flatbreads like rotis, you can also have it with steamed rice.
One Sunday, bored of making the same old dishes, I decided to make a super easy mater paneer. This version, which may not be the most authentic version, is very easy and doesn’t take much time to make. I used frozen peas, but if you have fresh peas, the dish will be even better.
Matar Paneer
Ingredients: – 2 cups frozen peas, thawed – 1 cup frozen paneer, soaked in hot water for 20-30 minutes and then drained – 2 medium sized onions, chopped roughly – 4 medium sized tomatoes, chopped roughly – 1 bulb garlic, peeled – 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped – 10-12 almonds – 2 tsp cumin seeds – 1 tsp ajwain or caraway seeds – 1 tbsp coriander seeds – 2 cloves – 2 cardamom pods – ¼ tsp turmeric powder – 1 tsp red chilli powder – 1 tsp cumin powder – 1 tsp coriander powder – 1 tsp garam masala powder – 1 tbsp kasuri methi – Salt to taste – 2 tbsp ghee or oil – Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Method: – Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil in a pan and when it is warm, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them pop. – Then add the ajwain seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and cardamom pods and stir for a couple of seconds. – Now add the almonds and stir for a minute or two. Then add the garlic and ginger one by one and stir between adding the next ingredient. – When everything is stirred well, add the onions and stir until the onions are translucent. – Then add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and stir until the tomatoes are completely cooked and mushy. Switch off the flame and let this cool. – When completely cool, blend together into a smooth paste. – In a separate pan, heat the balance ghee or oil and the balance cumin seeds and let the seeds pop – Then add the frozen peas and the turmeric powder and some salt and cover and cook on a low to medium flame until the peas are around 80% cooked. – Add in the blended masala paste and then the powder masalas – red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and let it come to a rolling boil. – At this point, add in the soaked and drained paneer and salt to taste. Add the garam masala powder and crush the kasuri methi in the palms of your hands and sprinkle it over the gravy. – Let everything come to a nice boil and put the flame on a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more. Thin it if needed at this point. – Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any rotis or rice. I served it with a simple jeera rice made with basmati rice.
During this lockdown when we can’t go out much, sometimes, you have pretty much nothing left in the fridge to cook with. Last week was one of those times. I was staring at a an empty fridge and still had to make lunch. So I decided to make this Methi Matar Pulao with what I actually had which was an onion, some frozen green peas and dried methi plus some spices. It actually was super delicious and GG even said that this could have been eaten on its own though I paired it with some onion boondi raita and some potato chips or crisps. Do try and let me know if you liked it!
Methi Matar Pulao
Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice, washed well and soaked for 20-30 mins
½ cup frozen green peas
1 onion, sliced finely
2-3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri Methi
1 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 cloves
4-5 cardamom pods
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 green chilli, chopped into 1 inch pices
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil or ghee
Method:
After the basmati rice has been soaked for 20-30 mins, drain the water from the rice and keep aside.
Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and when the fat heats up, add the cumin seeds and let them pop.
After the cumin seeds pop, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and stir for a few seconds.
Then add the green chilli and ginger and stir for a few seconds. After this add the onions and stir until the onions are translucent.
Now add the frozen peas and stir. Once the peas have been coated with the oil, take the dried fenugreek leaves in the palm of your hand and crush it lightly to release the oils. Sprinkle this dried leaves over the peas and stir.
Add the drained rice and salt and stir well.
If you are using a rice cooker, pour this into the rice cooker, add the appropriate amount of water and cook until done. I generally use slightly less than 1 cup of water for every cup of basmati rice, but you can play with this depending on your rice.
If you are cooking on the stovetop, add slightly less than the water needed and cook covered. If you feel you need more water, add towards the end when the rice is almost cooked so you can control how much water you add.
When the rice is cooked, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before you fluff it up with a fork. Serve hot with a raita.
Another no onion, no garlic recipe, this time the classic aloo matar (potato and peas) curry reimagined without onions or garlic and made royal with the addition of some dry fruits and sesame seeds. It was super yummy and the addition of milk and yoghurt balanced the tartness of the tomatoes and also gives a slight sweetness to the recipe.
Shahi Aloo Matar
Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup frozen or fresh green peas
3 large tomatoes, chopped roughly
1/2 cup skimmed milk
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
6 cashew nuts
6 almonds
1 inch piece of cinnamon
3-4 cardamom pods
3-4 cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/8 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
Method:
Peel and chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them pop. Then add the fennel seeds. Next add the sesame seeds, cloves, cardamon, bay leaf and cinamon one at a time and stir for a few seconds before adding the next ingredient.
Next add the cashewnuts and almonds and stir till the nuts are slightly brown. Now add the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and let the tomatoes cook and become mushy. Remove, let it cool completely and grind it to a smooth paste with the yoghurt.
Heat the balance oil and add the balance cumin seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the asafoetida and turmeric powder and stir for 2 seconds.
Then add the chopped potatoes and let them cook for about 5 mins, or until they are half cooked.
At this point, add the frozen peas and salt and let the potatoes and peas cook till they are around 75-80% cooked. Remove from the flame and keep aside.
In a new pan, add the ground paste and stir well. Add the dry spice powders – chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and cook covered till the oil leaves the sides of the pan and the raw smell disappears. This should take around 7-10 minutes.
Now add the cooked potaotes and peas to this paste and stir well. Add the milk and let it come to the consistency you need. You can also add some water or more milk if it is still thick. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to mix together. Check for seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
This goes very well with any Indian flatbread or even a jeera rice or pulao.
Memories and Such 