I tried white matar sabzi for the first time, only after my marriage. Up until then, I had always eaten it as a part of chaat or ragda-patties. But this sabzi is a regular feature in the menu at my in-laws’ and it tastes absolutely delicious with hot rice.
White matar or white peas, is a cousin of chickpeas, only much faster to cook and much easier to digest. Some like it just done, and some a tad bit mushy, but it tastes equally great both ways. I do not need to educate you about the benefits of eating lentils. We all know they are the best source of vegan protein and like most lentils, the white matar is best eaten freshly cooked. If stored for long after cooking, it loses its taste and gets harder to digest. It is also famous as ghugni, a kind of street food in the East Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal.
Coming back to the recipe, please note that the boiling time would differ based on the quality of matar and kind of pressure cooker. But it takes approximately 7 minutes from the time pressure sets in. Scroll down for the full recipe of the white matar sabzi.
Ingredients
- White Matar, washed and soaked overnight or a minimum of 6 hours - One cup
- Onions ground to a paste- 3/4 cup
- Tomato ground to a paste- A little over 1 cup
- Ginger garlic paste- 1 tablespoon
- Bay leaf- 1 big
- Dried red chilies- 2 small or as per taste
- Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
- Asafoetida- Pinch (optional)
- Black cardamom -1 (optional)
- Garam Masala- 1 teaspoon or 1.5 teaspoons if you like it spicier
- Coriander powder -1/2 teaspoon
- Cumin powder-1/4 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
- Red chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- Oil or ghee- 1.5 tablespoons plus a little extra while roasting spices
- Water-1.5 cups
- Chopped coriander-1.5 tablespoons for garnish
- Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
- Red chili powder-1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- Oil or ghee- 1.5 tablespoons plus a little extra while roasting spices
- Water-1.5 cups
- Chopped coriander-1.5 tablespoons for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the white matar with 1.5 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and salt until soft and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a deep thick bottomed wok and add the whole spices (bay leaf, cumin, black cardamom, dried red chilli) and asafoetida. Immediately reduce the flame to medium-low and continue stirring for about 15-20 seconds. By this time the spices would start to crackle and release aroma.Add onion paste and increase the heat to medium high, stirring continuously . Add ginger garlic paste after a minute and continue to stir till the paste turns brown and starts to come together, then add all the powdered spices. Continue to cook on a medium high flame with continuous stirring till the mixture starts to release oil and you get a distinct aroma of cooked spices. If at any point the mixture starts to get dry, add 1 teaspoon of oil or ghee (preferably latter) and continue to stir. You could also add 2 tablespoons of water , however it effects the final taste mildly. This process of cooking spices with onions would take 5-7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes till a homogenous mixture is formed.
- Add boiled matar into the masala mixture and mix well. Add warm water if the mixture is too thick and taste for salt. Bring to boil, then reduce flame to low, cover and let it simmer for 3 minutes. At this point you could add a teaspoon ghee for a beautiful flavour and aroma.Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 15 minutes or more for flavours to soak, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or roti.
Notes
Please note that the boiling time would differ based on the quality of matar and kind of pressure cooker. But it takes approximately 7 minutes from the time pressure sets in. How I boil in a pressure cooker- Place the cooker with the contents on a high flame till the pressure sets in (indicated by a hissing sound once the steam starts to form); then reduce the flame to low and let cook for 5-7 minutes.
[kkstarratings]
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Aaloo Tikki Chaat – OneWholesomeMeal Aaloo Tikki Chaat
July 25, 2020 at 10:56 pm[…] is mildly spiced and textured forming the next layer. I have the recipe to this white matar sabzi on the blog here. Some people also like to use the green matar instead of white and you could do the same too, the […]