Give Peas a Chance

Peas are in season right now, some tasty recipes:

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Peas and Cauliflower Curry

Minced Beef and Peas Curry

Peas and Potato Curry

Peas and Spinach Burgers (Hara Bara Kebab)

Mutter Katchori

Peas, Aubergine and Potato Curry

Methi Peas and Mushroom Curry

Peas Pilau

Mutter jo shak / Peas and Potato Curry

Peas are full of nutrients, they contain vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B1, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B2. Apart from the vitamins they contain manganese and phosporus and the all important dietary fibre, protein and carbs
They are available fresh at the moment, so get cooking!



Ingredients

1 tablespoon of oil
2 medium onions; chopped fine
4-5 cloves garlic; minced
3 inch ginger; grated
4-5 green chillies; minced
4 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised.
2 medium potatoes; cubed

2 cup fresh peas
2 heaped teaspns cumin/coriander powder
1/2 tspn turmeric
Salt to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion, fry until translucent.
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillies, decrease the heat and cook for 7-8 minutes, until it is like a thick sauce, then add the cumin, coriander and tumeric powders, and mix and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, mix so the potatoes are coated with the tomato sauce, cover and cook about 7-8 minutes. Then the peas
4. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the peas and potatoes are cooked.

Serve with bajra rotla, puris, or chapati

Hara Bhara Kebab / Peas and Spinach Burger

Another pea dish. I first had this at Sakoni in Wembley, it is a North Indian recipe. Talking to my friends and searching the net I managed to find this recipe. Delicious. We had this today for a light lunch with Beetroot Soup (also in season). I baked these, so very healthy.




Ingredients
1 cup peas; boiled
230g spinach; steamed / 1 cup / you can use frozen spinach
3 medium potatoes; boiled
2 inch ginger; grated
2 green chillies minced
1/2 lime; juiced
salt to taste
oil for greasing the tray and brushing the kebabs / burgers


Method

1. Heat the oven at 220 degree centigrade
2. Combine the peas, spinach and potatoes, mix
3. Add the ginger, chillies, lime juice, garam masala and lime juice mix
4. Let it cool for a while.
5. Make lemon sized balls, flatten and place on a greased tray
6. Brush with oil, and bake for 20 mins

Serve with a green salad. Or in a burger roll with salad.

Peas / Mutter kachori / gughra / Spicy Pea Pastry

Served with mint and coconut chutney. These are baked in the oven so healthy. Fresh peas are in season right now, they are so yummy, I simply could not resist them.

Ingredients
Filling
2 cups freshly shelled peas;
1 tablespoon oil
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
3 - 4garlic cloves; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
3-4 green chillies; minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated coconut ( I used frozen, you can use descicated coconut if you wish)
1 tspn sugar
salt to taste
2 tablespoon chopped coriander

Method

1. Roughly grind the peas and keep aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cumin and sesame seeds.

3. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies, stir quickly and add the peas, mix.

4. Stir and cook for about 15 minutes, turn down the heat so that the peas do not burn.

5. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl, add the coconut, sugar, salt and coriander. Mix well. Make the kachori / pastry when cool.

Pastry
2 cups plain flour
salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil
2/3 cups water

1. Add the salt to the flour and mix
2. Rub the flour and oil till you get a bread crumb like appearance.
3. Slowly add the water to get a fairly firm pastry, knead well and leave until the filling has cooled down.

Making the Kachori / pastry / gughra

Oil spray or oil for brush

1. Heat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade

2. Grease a oven tray

3. Divide the dough into 20 pieces.

3 ways

a. roll, place a tablespoon of mixture in the middle, wet half the edge with water and fold.

b Mark the edge with a fork and place on a greased oven tray.
c.Repeat until you have made 20. brush or spray with oil

d. Place in the oven bake for 20 minutes

OR

a. roll, place a tablespoon of mixture in the middle, bring the edges together and make a ball.

b. Repeat until you have made 20. Place on greased tin, brush or spray with oil

c. Place in the oven bake for 20 minutes

OR

a. roll, place a tablespoon of mixture in the middle, place in the kachori mould / dabbi, wet half the edge with water and fold, close the mould, remove place on greased tray.

b.Repeat until you have made 20. brush or spray with oil

c. Place in the oven bake for 20 minutes

I used the third method. These moulds can be bought in Indian shops (at Popats, Ealing Rd, Wembley

Roast Asparagus and Salmon

Adapted From BBC Good Food

Ingredients
400g new potatoes, halved if large
2 tbspn olive oil
8 asparagus spears, trimmed and halved
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
2 salmon filletsabout 140g/5oz each
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the potatoes and 1 tbsp of olive oil into an ovenproof dish, then roast the potatoes for 20 mins until starting to brown. Toss the asparagus in with the potatoes, then return to the oven for 15 mins.
2. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and vinegar and nestle the salmon amongst the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining oil and return to the oven for a final 10-15 mins until the salmon is cooked. Season with salt and pepper
   

VEry easy and really delicious!!
I made Spainish Omelet with the left over vegetable - recipe soon

Sweet Corn and Red Pepper in a Spicy Tomato Sauce / Curry

I am going to try and cook as much seasonal food as I can. Corn on the cob are in season at the moment. I got these at 3 for £1.

Ingredients
2 tbspn oil
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 cumin seeds
3 large tomatoes; blanched peeled and liquidised; or 200gm tin of peeled tomatoes; liquidised
2 tspn tomato pure
2 tspn grated ginger
3 tspnn minced garlic
1 red chille; minced
2 red romano peppers; diced

2 corn on the cob; boiled and kernals removed with a sharp knife4 large tomatoes; blanched,
1 tspn cumin powder
2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Method
1.Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds let the seed pop.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, give a good stir
3. Add the fresh tomatoes, stir and cook for about five minutes;
4. Add the tumeric,cumin and coriander, mix and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the sweet corn, red pepper , tomato puree, salt and water. Cook for 15 minutes.
I served it with masala paratha (recipe to come soon)