GREEN PEAS CURRY (WITH POTATOES)

INTRODUCTION

INGREDIENTS

Green peas and Potatoes curry in thick gravy is a very wholesome and a delicious dish which goes best with Roti/Paratha and Poories. It tastes equally great with Rice too.

2 cups Green Peas
2 Medium sized potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
3Nos Medium sized Tomatoes diced into small pieces
1 Large potato steam cooked and mashed for gravy
3 Medium sized Onions made into paste
2" Ginger piece made into paste with Onion
1 Tsp Chilli powder
1Tbsp Dhania powder
1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
3 Nos. Star Anis
1 Tsp Garam Masala
1 Tsp Asafoetida (milder variety) if strong variety, or pure, put only a pinch.
1/2 Lemon for juice (you may use more if you like sour)
Salt To taste
1 Tsp Sugar

FOR TAMPERING
Oil For frying and Tampering( about 25 ml for frying and 10 ml for tempering)
1 Tsp Jeera
6 Cloves
2" 3 nos..of Cinnamon sticks
3 cloves of Garlic cut into small pieces

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Steam cook Green peas and diced potatos and 3 nos. of Star Anis. Take care not to over cook. But it should be only 3/4th cooked. While steam cooking , add 1 spoon of Sugar and 1/2 spoon of salt. This will give a very bright green colour to peas. When the peas and potatoes are 3/4th cooked, remove from the pressure cooker, and set aside. 

GRAVY PREPARATION 

Separately overcook (pressure) a large potato and mash it well and keep it aside. Make a paste of 3 Onions and Ginger. Take 20 ml of oil in a Kadai and put the onion -ginger paste and fry on a low flame for four minutes. Keep on turning so that the paste does not stick to Kadai. When the oil starts to separate, immediately add diced Tomatoes and stir  fry for about five minutes till the tomatoes are fully fried and soft. Now add garam masala, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, asafoetida and add mashed potato. Add a little water and cook the mix for about four to five minutes till boil. 

MIXING 

When the gravy is ready, slowly add partially cooked Peas and potatoes Take care not to mash any of the two. (IN CASE YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE OVER COOKED PEAS-POTATOES, DON'T WORRY. POUR ICE COLD WATER ON THE PEAS- POTATOES AFTER DRAINING THE PRESSURE COOKER /PRESSURE PAN HOT WATER.) Once the mixing is over in the pressure pan or another vessel, set it aside for at least 30 minutes. After about 30 minutes, taste for salt or other ingredients. Add anything if you want. Now pressure cook the whole thing again for only one whistle. Remove the cooker from stove and immediately pour cold water over the unopened cooker or release the steam immediately by raising the whistle (weight).. Open the cooker after ten minutes and now add lemon Juice. 

TEMPERING 

Take a little oil in tempering ladle and put pieces of garlic first. Set the stove on slow flame. After 30 seconds, remove from fire and add this to the gravy. Now take similar quantity of oil in the same ladle, add cloves, cinnamin, jeera. Heat on a slow flame. When Cloves start puffing up, add this tampering to the gravy. Immediately cover the gravy . After a minute, thoroughly mix the tempering and decorate the dish with finely chopped kothumalli and serve hot. 

POINTS TO REMEMBER 

If you have pressure pan, steam cook till three whistles and immediately pour cold water over pressure pan to subside the steam pressure. Once the steam pressure is over, open the lid and keep it open. This will give you 3/4 cooked vegetables .You can also release the steam and bring the pressure to normal.

Enjoy!!! 

And as usual Don't forget to post the feedback.