Matar ki sookhi sabzi

Do you remember the time when matar or green peas did not come in frozen packs? The arrival of the winters for us in Delhi and maybe for most people in North India meant, buying fresh matar by the kilo.

But buying these green pea pods meant that one would sit in the sun or in front of the TV and peel them. Because it would take so long! The space around the person would often be divided into three sections- a pile for empty peels, another for the peas that were still intact in their pods and, one big vessel that collected the green shelled peas. While my mother, aunt or either of the grandmas would peel the green pea pods, my brother and I, would hang around in the hope to eat the sweeter more delicate peas that they would come across.

Ever heard of Garden peas? Those are the sweeter and immature ones, that we would wait so patiently for.

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“Yeh lo, ek aur mila!” (Take this, I found another one!), my mom would say when she came across a pod with young delicate peas and handed it out to us to eat. These ones were sweeter and we would love eating them. A bag of pea pods that were full of these sweeter garden peas was considered a good score.

But then, we weren’t given too many and were told that eating too many raw peas would give us a tummy ache. So we let the elders de-shell peas and sometimes even helped them finish de-shelling those heaps.

Frozen peas or Fresh peas?

As we grew older, a bag of shelled peas by Safal was pretty common in most households. Safal’s frozen peas made it possible to add peas in dishes the year round. But we wouldn’t always buy these.

Every winter season, my Mamaji (maternal uncle) makes a trip to the local mandi (wholesale market) and buys pea pods in bulk. He then de-shells all of them over the week, washes and then packs them in zip lock bags. He then distributes these bags amongst the family which we all stock in the fridge. It truly is, a labour of love!

You would ask, why he goes through the bother and why don’t we just buy frozen peas from the market? Well, this fresher lot of green peas in the freezer is always much tastier. And over the years, this sweet gesture from him became a family ritual that we looked forward to.

What all can you make with peas?

Frozen peas are a life saver when you are out of ideas of what to cook, especially in the scant summer season. When you get sick of eating bhindi, tori and tinda in the summer, these frozen peas present some yummy opportunities. Besides using them in your favorite matar paneer and this winter special Gajar Matar ki Sabzi, you can make a stuffed paratha out of them, or add them to a simple pulao or even make them into a quick stir fry.

This quick stir fry with onions is a matar ki sookhi sabzi that I have seen my mom make many times. I love how simple and quick this recipe is and it goes great with a hot paratha or even dal chawal.

Here’s how I make this quick and simple Sookhi Matar ki sabzi

Prep Time : 5 minutes; Active Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 mins

Serves 3- 4; Yields 1and 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• Fresh or frozen green peas, 1 and a half cups
• Red Onion, 1, sliced
• Vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon
• Cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, a few cracks
• Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala, 1/4 teaspoon
• Water, 2-3 tablespoons

Method

Start by measuring the peas. If you are using frozen peas, thaw them in a big bowl of water and then strain after 5 minutes. If you are using fresh peas, rinse them in water and drain.

Peel an onion and slice it.

Next, pour oil in a kadhai and wait for it to heat up on medium high. Once hot, throw in the cumin seeds and let them sizzle and bloom for 30 seconds.

Tip in the sliced red onion next and give it a good stir. Cook the onion for 2 minutes and then add the drained green peas.

Stir the peas in the kadhai to coat them in the oil. Throw in all the spices and salt and then mix well.

Now turn the heat low and add a few tablespoons of water. Cover the kadhai and let the peas cook in the steam till they are softer. This should take 5-7 minutes.

Uncover the kadhai to check if the peas are done. Once they are cooked, sprinkle some garam masala on top.

Serve this sookhi matar ki sabzi with hot parathas or dal and rice!