Green Peas and Ridge Gourd

Both separately cooks in under 30-minutes from start to tummy! These veggies give a deeper taste when added in a velvety sauce. Peas are my favorite; I have TONS of other wonderful Peas Recipes in the search box. These two recipes are very nutritious and so delicious! They are a good source of fiber, and veggies during winters are loaded with freshness and full of vitamins and minerals. Although I don’t want winter to end, I am looking ahead to more variation of vegetable dishes and vegan soups. The aromatic curry is Indian inspired, made with phenomenal spices. It cooks quickly and all in one pan, making it an excellent choice for an easy lunch on a busy day.

You ever buy a veggie and wonder what to do with this? I do that all the time and my answer to my peas and ridge gourd purchase was this rich and thick curry. If you love the flavors of Indian cuisine, you will fall in love with my dishes. This maybe my new favorite to combine two veggies at a time! Added bonus! This is vegan, lactose and gluten free! Serve this with a piece of Indian flatbread or over steam rice and you have yourself a meal. To see more veg recipes, click here.

Flavorsome Peas In Thick Sauce

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients

1 bowl peas or matar, peeled and rinsed

1 cup cooking oil, divided

1 medium size onion, roughly chopped

1 medium size tomato, roughly chopped

2 peeled garlic cloves, whole

3 green chilies

2 cardamoms

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder, heat as required

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

¼ teaspoon all spice powder

½ glass water

Salt to taste

A tablespoon of freshly chopped cilantro

 Method:

• In a pan, heat ¼ cup cooking oil, throw in roughly chopped onion, tomato, green chilies and garlic cloves. Sauté the elements for about 5 minutes until the onions and tomatoes soften. Set aside on a plate and allow it to cool. Return to the plate, blend the mixture into a fine puree.
• In a skillet over a medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, 2 cardamoms, then the puree and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until the oil separates from its side.
• Add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder and add peas. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes on a medium heat.
• Add ½ glass water, cover and cook until the peas are done. Finish by adding some all spice powder and chopped cilantro. You can also squeeze a few drops of lemon juice if you like.

Let’s move to another dish.

Saucy Ridge Gourd / Toorai Sabzi

Preparation Time: 8 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 28-30 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

Ingredients

2 ridge gourd or toorai, peeled and chopped

¼ cup cooking oil

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, skin removed and chopped

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder, heat as required

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

½ glass water

Finely chopped bullet peppers and cilantro for garnish

Method:

• In a pan, add ¼ cup cooking oil, allow ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds to sputter. Add the onions and tomatoes and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt all over the tomatoes, salt will help the cooking process of tomatoes to speed up.
• As soon as the tomatoes become soft and the oil is released from its side, quickly mash it with the help of a spatula.
• Put in ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder and Salt to taste. Combine the paste, then add chopped ridge gourd and ½ glass water. Cook the ridge gourd for 10 minutes on a medium heat. Adjust the salt and spice.
• Garnish with some cilantro and chopped bullet peppers. The lesser the spices the better the taste of ridge gourd. Serve hot with pickle and rice or chapatis. Enjoy!