By – Dr.Kaviraj Khialani.
Calm, composed, versatile superfood great in its nutritive offering is how it has been defined by many foodies and gourmet lovers. Also called as garden peas, they are small spherical seeds that come from pods. One of most adored and used ingredient in many kitchens from our all-time favorite aloo mattar, pea pulao, mattar aur pyaaz ki Kachories, parathas with green pea filling, mattar paneer korma and more.
Green peas are one such ingredient which is naturally sweet legume rich in a number of our daily dietary requirements. The composition of this small yet wonderful ingredient is the pod and the pea within. The pods are rich in fiber and some of the softer varieties are consumed as well like the snow peas etc.
They are low in calories and good for our system and eases digestion as well to an extent,100 gms of green peas have around 81 calories approx. and its varied preparations from soups, salads, dips, stir fries and curries make them all the more interesting to involve them into our diet plans.
Health benefits of Green Peas:
- Green peas are considered as heart healthy food and their consumption in our diet in a number of healthy ways can add to the value of our system.
- Good for our skin, they contain fair amounts of fiber and anti-oxidants which protect us in many ways.
- Peas are also a good source of all the essential vitamins and minerals we need in our body like folate, iron, phosphorus and more.
- Green peas are considered one of the best sources of plant based proteins for us and they increase the levels of certain proteins in our body which reduce number of calories consumed in a day as well.
- They are relatively low in glycemic index which is a measure known to check how quickly our blood sugar rises after eating food.
Uses of Green Peas in our Kitchen:
- One of my all-time favorite with green peas is a bhuna mattar aur makkai ka shorba, peas and corn roasted and then tempered to a nice light soup, besides the Pudina mattar broth, cream of green peas soup, pea and lentil puree soup.
- Green peas are popular in Indian and both western cuisines as well from the fresh pea mash with fried fish,
- pea quenelles in sun dried tomato sauce, pasta with pea pesto and basil, green pea soup with bacon and sunflower seeds, pea and potato croquettes, mashed potatoes with smoked peas, pea roesti and hash browns stuffed with minted pea mixture.
- Indian recipes like mattar filling inside the famous Kachories, cooked mashed spiced peas filling inside parathas, in doughs for puries, also try adding dehydrated pea flour/powder into your dough for making parathas etc it is tasty as well and the list gets even bigger looking at the way we add it to our subzis.
- Mattar paneer, mattar aloo, Gobi mattar ki subzi, makhana mattar korma, pea pulao, mattar ka kofta in mildly spiced Indian gravies. while most of us love the winter fresh green peas, cleaning them is fun and storing them in our freezer keeps a bit of stock in hand as well,but we do have frozen options as well with green peas.
- I also tried using green peas in a puree form converting it into gravies as well with addition of little spinach puree and cashew paste and coconut milk, turned out nice with chicken and cheese koftas & also with soy chunks and mushrooms.
- Green peas with rice also has a great connect from the basic ones to the layered ones, try peas with brown rice in a pulao form by flavoring with cinnamon and add a few chopped dates into it and give it a dum for few mins.
- From the stir fry concepts, to adding them to dips and spreads green peas are handy, helpful, tasty and easy to include in almost every dish we wish to add content color and value.
Here are a few Simple & Tasty Recipes using Green Peas:
Recipe-1] Pea Paradise Soup
Ingredients
- Green peas- 2 cups fresh/frozen.
- Olive oil/ oil/ butter- 1 tbsp.
- Bayleaf- 1 no
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Onion- 1 small chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Herbs- fresh or dried as per choice
- Chili flakes- 1 tsp.
- Potato-1 med sized peeled and cubed.
- Roasted crushed jeera-1/2 tsp
- Garam masala powder-1/4 tsp.
- Water/vegetable stock-4- 5 cups
- Flax seeds/ melon seeds/ pumpkin seeds- 2 tsp for garnish
- Low fat cream/fresh cream/almond cream- 1 tsp garnish
Method:
- Prepare all the ingredients for the soup.
- Heat oil in a pan, add in the Bayleaf, onions, garlic and saute for a few seconds.
- Add in the green peas, potato, salt and all spices, flavorings, herbs etc and mix well for 30 seconds.
- now add in the liquid and bring to a boil, simmer for 10-15 mins and cool, puree and strain the soup well.
- bring it back to a boil, check for seasonings, adjust the texture and serve hot.
Chefs Variations:
For Veg: to make it more nutritious try adding ginger, green chili, soy chunks/ tofu as an option.
For added green color we can also add spinach leaves, fresh basil leaves, broccoli etc as well.
For Non-Veg: can use chicken stock as well to make the soup and later add boiled chopped chicken in the soup and bring to a boil.
Recipe- 2] Nutkhut Mattar Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
For the Mattar Pesto:
- Green peas- 1 cup boiled
- Green chili- 1 tsp chopped
- Fresh coriander leaves- ½ cup
- Fresh mint leaves- ¼ cup
- Fresh basil leaves- 1/2cup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lime juice- 2 tbsp.
- Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
- Oil/olive oil- 3-4 tbsp.
- Chilled water- 2-3 tbsp.
- Cashews/ almonds/ peanuts- 2-3 tbsp.
For the Pasta:
- Use any choice of pasta as desired- penne/fusilli/macaroni etc to be boiled until just cooked and refreshed with cold water, a little sprinkle of olive oil and kept aside.
To Assemble the Dish:
- Sliced saute mushrooms/ Babycorn/ blanched broccoli/ zucchini cubes/ roasted or grilled brinjal slices/ cooked sliced tandoori chicken/ saute masala prawns/ sliced grilled fish/scrambled eggs/ shredded double fried eggs/sun-dried tomatoes/canned tuna fish etc can all be a choice of additional ingredients which we can add to our pasta dish.
Elements of Garnish:
Parmesan cheese shavings- ¼ cup or any cheese of your
choice can be used.
Cherry tomatoes- 4-5 cut 1 x2
Black olives/ green olives- 4-5 sliced
Fresh herbs like parsley/basil/coriander/mint etc.
Method:
- Prepare the mattar pesto dressing and keep chilled in the fridge.
- Work on the boiled pasta and keep it chilled as well.
- In a mixing bowl combine together the sauce and pasta and choose from the add on list and incorporate that as well here and toss the salad well.
- Arrange the dressed pasta on a salad/serving plate and choose from the garnishes and serve immediately.
Recipe-3] Ever Green Healthy Dip
Ingredients
- Green peas- 1 and a half cup boiled.
- Blanched spinach leaves- 1 cup
- Fresh coriander and mint-1 cup mix
- Green chili-2 no cut
- Garlic-1 tsp chopped
- Celery- ¼ cup stem part cut
- Olive oil/oil- 3-4 tbsp.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Roasted crushed peanuts- 2-3 tbsp.
- Chilled water-3-4 tbsp.
Method:
1.Prepare all the ingredients for the dip.
- Using a grinder jar, we shall combine all these ingredients and blend it into a coarsely smooth texture, chilled water will help us to get the desired texture without discoloring it.
- Add lime/rock salt/ chaat masala as per taste/add any seeds like sunflower/ roasted sesame seeds/pomegranate seeds etc for a crunch as well.
- Chill the dip until being served, drizzle a little olive oil/sesame oil etc on top and serve with crackers/sticks of veggies/lavash/ toasted garlic bread/grilled or baked potatoes/chicken on skewers etc. I also tried adding tofu/cream cheese/grated cheese/grated paneer into the same dip as well for variety.
