Dubai: Green peas are evergreen. Especially in many South Asian kitchens these versatile legumes are often kept handy to be made into soups, spiced and sautéed snacks, used as a filling for parathas (flatbreads) and kachoris or in deep-fried savoury pastries like samosas. They are even added to rice preparations like pulao and spicy curries.
Peas were once considered seasonal and harvested only during the winter months. They still are, but, over time, frozen packets of green peas replaced fresh ones to be available all year round.
These bright green peas grow inside pods and have a sweet flavour, making them a great option to pair with savoury dishes such as curries. In many countries, home cooks stock fresh green peas in their home freezers for a steady supply.
Gulf News Food team spoke to 3 Dubai-based chefs who shared trending green peas recipes for our readers. Try them and let us know how they turn out.
1.Recipe for Green Pea Soup
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 3 to 4
Ingredients:
500 gms green peas, defrosted
1 medium-sized white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 inches leek, only white part
1 celery stick, peeled and chopped
Fresh thyme – to taste
Vegetable stock (Boil onions, carrots, celery sticks and leeks to make a vegetarian option) or use store-bought vegetable stock cubes
Chicken stock (boil chicken bones and water) or store-bought chicken stock cubes
300 ml fresh cream
60 gms unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
3 sprigs basil leaves, optional
Croutons [recipe below]
Method:
1. Using olive oil, sauté the onions until soft, then add garlic. Continue to sauté until they turn golden brown. Add chopped leeks and celery. Cook them together until the vegetables become soft.
2. Now, add the chicken or vegetable stock depending on the consistency you want for the soup.
3. When all the large vegetables have softened, add green peas. Quickly sauté the green peas together with the rest of the ingredients. Once the green peas are soft enough, turn off the heat. Remember, do not overcook. Doing so will reduce their colour to pale green.
4. Once this is done, add all the mixture and basil to a blender, blitz it to a smooth paste. Stock can be added to adjust the consistency if need be.
5. Once you have this mixture, it goes back into the cooking pot, which gets simmered to make the actual soup. Add more stock at this point, and then add cream and butter.
6. Next, add fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Baked croutons recipe: Dice up either 4 slices white or brown bread and keep it aside. Heat 3 tbsp butter on a low flame in a pan, and let it melt. Then, add salt, pepper to taste, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of parsley to it and sauté for a few seconds. Next, drizzle this mixture on the diced bread and bake until golden brown. To bake – place the bread on a baking sheet and bake at 175 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden in colour, turning at least once halfway or as required.
Recipe courtesy: The Cove Rotana Resort’s Speciality Outlet Chef, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
2. Recipe for Green Peas or Matar Pulao
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 1 to 2
Ingredients:
200 gms Basmati rice
600 gms water
80 gms green peas, defrosted
2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, equal portion
2 pieces green chilli, slit
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 to 4 cardamom
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 piece star anise
1 to 2 mace strands
Method:
1. Wash and soak the rice for at least 30 minutes. This allows the rice to be cooked quickly and wash away the excess starch.
2. In a pan, heat ghee or clarified butter and melt on a low flame.
3. Once the ghee melts, add cumin seeds, which will begin to splutter, followed by whole spices. Sauté all this together for about a minute. The heat and oil will infuse with the whole spices and release an aroma.
4. Next, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for about a minute until the raw smell fades away.
5. Now, add defrosted green peas and rice to the pan and mix.
6. Add water and salt and give it a stir.
7. Cover the cooking pot with a lid and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, on low heat.
8. Check using a fork to see if done. Should be a little more than al dente. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to stand for some time.
9. Garnish with green coriander, fried onions or birista and fried cashew nuts
Here is our Editor's recipe for Birista
Serve hot with raita or yoghurt and vegetable condiment.
Recipe courtesy: Dhaba Lane, Al Karama, Dubai
3.Recipe for Matar Kachori or deep-fried savoury pastry with green peas filling
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Makes 15 to 18 pieces
Ingredients:
For the dough
1 kg maida or plain flour
200 gms oil
300 ml water
Salt as per taste
For the filling:
500 gms green peas fresh or defrosted
10 gms chaat masala (Editor’s note - create at home with equal measures of roasted cumin powder, black salt and dried mango powder)
5 gms garam masala (recipe)
5 gms cumin seeds
10 gms coriander powder
3 pieces green chillies
A pinch of heeng powder or asafoetida
A pinch of ginger, chopped
10 ml oil, to shallow fry the filling
2 l oil to fry the kachori or deep-fried bread
Method:
To knead the dough:
1. In a bowl, add the flour and oil to mix well. Now, start kneading. Pour water a little by little and knead with your hands. Don’t pour all the water at once. Go on adding a few tablespoons, as required to knead. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Knead until the dough is smooth and firm. Do not knead the dough like that of roti or Indian flatbreads. It does not have to be soft and pliable. A soft dough will make for a soft crust, like roti. However, for kachori, we require a crispy crust.
Once done, cover it with a muslin cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Note: You can use a moist muslin cloth to not dry up the dough.
For the filling:
1. Mash the peas – If you are using fresh green peas, you will need to simmer them in water for about 6 to 8 minutes. For defrosted ones, just mash as is. Use a potato masher to mash the peas to a semi-coarse consistency.
2. In a pan, heat the oil. Then add cumin seeds and once they begin to splutter, add chopped ginger and green chillies. Fry them for about 30 seconds.
3. Then, add the mashed peas to the pan and mix them well. Add salt to taste. Keep it aside.
Note: A quick hack to make the moist mashed peas filling dry is to add dry roasted gram flour, and about 1 tablespoon should be good. You can quickly dry roast the gram flour in a separate pan for a couple of minutes and add it to the filling.
1. Break the dough into small, equal-sized balls and flatten it using a rolling pin. Roll in a disc-like shape, roughly around 4 to 5 inches.
2. Now, place a small quantity of the filling at the centre of the disc. A quick tip – you can apply water at the edges of the disc. This will help the dough stick together firmly and ensure that the filling does not spill out.
3. Then, bring the edges together to the centre and join them. Seal the filling by pressing at the centre. Make sure there are no cracks, or else the peas filling will spill out.
4. You can use your hands to flatten the dough filled ball or press it gently with a rolling pin. Repeat this for all the dough balls to begin deep-frying. Cover all the kachoris with a moist muslin cloth till the oil for deep-frying heats up.
To deep-fry:
1. In a kadhai or wok, add oil and heat it. Make sure the oil is not too hot or cold. On low to medium heat, begin frying the kachoris. Do not add more than 1 or 2 at a time, depending on the size of the wok. Make sure there is enough space between them so they can puff up.
Serve hot with spicy and tangy chutney
Recipe Courtesy: Chef Prakash Singh, Chatori Gali, Dubai
What is your favourite green peas recipe? Share with us on food@gulfnews.com
