This Green Peas Masala recipe is one which you will find in the kitchens and cookbooks of most Punjabi households. Easy-to-make and super-fresh, this green peas recipe can perk up a simple meal in absolutely no time.
Our green peas masala Punjabi style (peas masala dry or matar ki sabji) derives its flavor, not from the spices or other ingredients that go into its making, but from the sweet green winter peas themselves. The use of seasonal, fresh peas is quintessential for this preparation, which is a dry one, and is best eaten with phulkas or paranthas. It also makes a delicious combination with a meal of dal and rice. Whether you are a new cook or have already climbed the culinary ladder, use this yummefy-ed recipe and get the lowdown on how to make matar ki sabji.
The matar masala recipe gets additional sweetness from the browned onions and is imparted warmth by the turmeric, ginger, garlic and powdered spices. You can substitute oil with ghee for a richer dish. Ghee is often used in Punjabi homes to prepare winter dishes. These prepared peas are soft, subtly spiced and leave a sweet, lingering aftertaste. Green peas masala turns out to be a dish with a distinct fresh flavor and delicious texture.
Our matar masala dry recipe is not only fresh and flavourful, but also has complex notes from the browned onions, aromatics, and spices. One bite and you will surely be asking for seconds.
Enjoy the flavours of our easy green peas masala dry recipe on any weeknight by following our easy and simple recipe to recreate this Punjabi-style dish at home.
A variation of this green peas masala dry recipe can be made adding a generous pinch of hing or asafoetida, ginger paste, and the finishing note of sour amchur (dried mango powder).
Green peas are a cool weather crop grown across India in the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Bihar. While the fresh green pea pods are used as a vegetable, the dried peas or sukha matar (also known as vatana) are used as pulses – as we have done in our famous Delhi street food recipe Matar Kulcha.
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the winter season than to cook with seasonal bounty? Winters bring in seasonal produce such as green peas, spinach, mustard leaves, and a whole bunch of other culinary delights. Seasonal cooking has been practiced in India since the times of our forefathers. During the winter season, green peas are shelled in huge quantities and used fresh in almost all preparations like this fresh green peas masala dry recipe. Seasonal cooking imparts freshness, nutrition, and a more robust flavour to our food, besides being in accordance with the ‘ritucharya’ concept of Ayurveda, aiding in disease-prevention and maintenance of good health.
With the advent of refrigerators, storage of vegetables and other produce like these green peas became commonplace, allowing one to consume seasonal produce through out the year. This vegetarian (vegan, in fact) and gluten-free green peas masala recipe dry can thus be made during off-season. At such times, when you are not using fresh and sweet seasonal peas, or substituting them with frozen peas for lack of availability, you may choose to add half a teaspoon of sugar to this green peas recipe to compensate for their natural sweetness.
Green peas not only bring great taste, but a wealth of nutrition to your dining table as they are rich in proteins, fiber, amino acids, vitamins A, B6, C, magnesium, phosphorus, and sugars. However, though rarely heard of in India, some people develop allergies to peas due to the presence of vicilin as the allergen.
If you like to have a zero-waste kitchen, after making this easy matar masala dry recipe, use the tender outer shells of the peas to make a stir fry of any sort. A chilli-garlic stir-fry is how we like them. If the pea shells are stiff or dry, they can be composted or fed to cows, as practiced in many Indian village homes. Did you know that the unused parts of most vegetables were usually fed to livestock traditionally? Our ancestors followed the now trending zero-waste philosophy too.
When you split open a pea pod you witness one of nature's many miracles - dainty, pigmented, round edible morsels that make you want to turn them into a culinary delight. No wonder green peas are a versatile ingredient, used to prepare a variety of dishes such as Matar ka Nimona, a winter classic from Uttar Pradesh, Matar Chuda and Matar ki Chaat from the same state, Maharashtrian Matar Karanji, and Bengali Koraishuti Kochuri, besides this Green Peas Masala Punjabi style. They are even used in making dishes such as Spicy Keema Mattar Chettinad Style or a vegetarian version of the same with soya granules substituted for meat. Try fresh green peas in our party worthy Mushroom Malai Matar or simple homely dishes of matar aloo and matar paneer. The variations of green peas recipes in Indian cuisine are endless.
Serve this green peas dry masala recipe with roti, phulka, paratha, or with plain rice or pulao. Dal tadka, boondi raita and pickled onions are good accompaniments.
Learn how to make green peas masala Punjabi style at home with all ingredients and easy cooking method by watching the step by step video and reading the detailed recipe below.
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