I love trying to experiment and come out with short cut recipes for those eloborate popular dishes that people love eating all the time. The reason??? I do get bored of my own cooking. May sound wierd. But …well …that it true :P. And in course of my experimenting, I managed to do something very simple with the standard aloo matar combi sabzi. It may not actually taste like the standard recipe. But trust me it does taste good. Coz it was given a thums up by my critic (hubby dear). And it would really satisfy those family members who keep complaning of having to eat the same boring dishes everyday. It would hardly take 30 mins and most of the time is taken for cooking in the pressure cooker. Specially easier to make when you have frozen peas in the refrigerator.
Here what you would need to make this dish for 2 people:
Potatoes – 2 to 3 depending on the size.
Frozen peas – 1 cup
To grind into paste:
Onions – 1 to 2 medium sized chopped
Garlic cloves- 5 to 6 peeled
Ginger – 1 inch piece peeled
Green chillies – 3 – 4 or according to taste
Coriander – few sprigs.
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp or according to preference (optional)
Chilli powder – approximately according to taste (optional)
Preperation:
Peel the potatoes cube them into small pieces and keep aside.
Defrost the peas and keep aside if using frozen peas.
Put all the ingredients needed to make the masala into a mixie, add some water and make into a paste. Make sure it isnt too watery.
Procedure:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Let the oil heat up and add cumin seeds to it. Now add the ground paste to the cooker and let it fry in the oil till the raw smell of the masalas disappear and the oil starts leaving the sides from the masala.. This is a sign that the masala is cooked sufficiently.Add salt too at this stage. Now add the cubed potatoes and the peas to the cooker and allow everything to fry for a minute and all the masala sticks evenly to the pieces. After frying everything for a couple of minutes, add 2 – 3 cups of water to the cooker, close it and allow to cook. The time needed for cooking would depend on the type of cooker you have. I allow it to whistle twice on high heat, turn down the heat and allow to cook for further 5-7 minutes and then turn it off. Once the cooker is safe to open you can check the seasoning and make minor changes. I would recommed adding fresh cream or yoghurt just before serving. Gives that extra taste. Also a splash of lemon juice adds a zing. Chat masala too gives an edge to the dish. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with chapatis, rotis or pulkas
Variation:
If you would like to give a tomato-ish taste to the dish, you can blanch a couple of tomatoes, paste them in a mixie and add the puree right after adding the masala paste to the cooker.
Any more ideas or varitations on this dish please feel free to comment
Related articles
- Rajma masala – Kidney beans cooked in indian spices (tummykhush.wordpress.com)
