Green Peas dal/Matar Dal – recipe

Yummy Matar ki dal

When my room-mate Rajni said matar ki dal I assumed it is a dish with green peas in some yellow dal. But this turned out to be a recipe I have never heard of. A dal made of green peas and cauliflower and no lentils. It is a recipe from Northern Uttar Pradesh(a region in Northern India). It tastes yummier than it sounds and very healthy too. And the recipe is very easy too. So I am posting it here for you guys to try and enjoy. This dish is prepared by my roomie Rajni. I am just the photographer and the helper here.

Ingredients:

• Green Peas – 250 gms
• Cauliflower – 250 gms
• Onion – 1 big
• Tomato – 1 medium
• Garlic – 3-4 cloves
• Fresh Coriander/Cilantro – quantity as desired
• Ginger – a small knob
• Green chilli- 2 medium
• Dry Mango Powder – a pinch
• Turmeric powder – a pinch
• Bay leaf – 1 leaf
• Cloves – 2-3
• Black Cardamom – 1
• Cinnamon – a small stick
• jeera – for tadka
• Salt – to taste
• Mustard Oil – for frying

Method:

• Blanch the peas and cauliflower. Set some peas aside and make the rest into a fine paste.
• Make a paste of other ingredients as well i.e. Onion, tomato, chillies, garlic, ginger, cilantro.

Fresh ingredients. Replace the frozen peas with fresh ones for better taste

Boil the peas for 2-3 mins.

Blanch the cauliflowers

Make a paste of the green peas

• In a frying pan, heat mustard oil, add jeera and the garam masala i.e. cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and black cardamom.
• Then add the onion paste and sauté for a minute or two. Add the green peas paste now and sauté for another minute.
• Now add the rest of the peas and the cauliflower and fry for some time.
• Add turmeric powder, salt, dry mango powder and any other dry masala that you’d like to add to this.

Fry all the pastes before adding the peas and cauliflower

• Add water to this and close the cooker. Let it cook for about 3-4 whistles.

Add peas and cauliflowers and fry. Then add desired amount of water.

After the pressure is released, you have your hot dal ready to be served. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve it with hot rice.

Serve the hot dal with some hot basmati rice, fresh salad and some hot-n-tangy chutney

I hope you like trying this recipe and eating it as much as we did.