Gajar Matar Sabzi
Gajar Matar sabzi is a veggie side dish made using red carrots and fresh green peas that are typically available during the winters in India. Though it is a very simple and humble sabzi made with minimal ingredients, but it is a lip-smacking dish which brings out the natural taste and flavours out of these two veggies.
Winter in India is associated with abundance of fresh vegetables and especially some seasonal veggies like red carrots, rgreen peas, cauliflower, raddish etc. My personal favourite winter veggie is the red carrot, not just for the reason that is used to make delicious carrot halwa but also because of it’s earthiness and it’s versatility of use in sabzis, pulav and salads. My desperate wait for this veggie starts as soon as the month of November is born. I keep checking with my vegetable vendor if the red carrots have hit the market yet and the day I find them, I almost empty the entire lot available in the shop 🙂
Just like the red carrots, fresh green peas is also a characteristic winter veggie which has a natural sweetness and crunch which cannot be compared to the frozen green peas which is generally available round the year. I have vivid childhood memories of helping my mom to peel the green peas under the warmth of sun on a chilly winter afternoon. I would eat almost all the baby green peas while peeling 😉 (which I still do!). We used to buy green peas in large quantities (sometimes even up to 4 or 5 kilos!) peel and stock them up in the freezer.
Talking about this sabzi, it is one of the easiest and quickest recipes that can be made in just few minutes. Since the red carrots and green peas have a natural sweetness, this sabzi tends to be slightly sweet, however this sweetness is offset by the spice from red chilli powder and tartness from amchur powder. This recipe contains minimal spices and masala to ensure that the freshness and flavours of the veggies stand out. Don’t be amused by the simplicity of this dish, trust me it is one of the best sabzis that you could enjoy with hot phulkas or paranthas.
This dish is also a no onion and no garlic recipe, so it is perfect for any festival or fasting days. Some like to add tomatoes and ginger as well to this recipe, however I generally do not include in this recipe. I use amchur or dry mango powder for the slight tartness in the sabzi, however if you do not wish to use amchur powder, you could use tomatoes. It is totally a personal choice and it shouldn’t make a big difference in the taste.
There are few basic but important things to note in this recipe:
1. The carrots are to be not chopped too fine and tastes best when they are kept as medium chunks.
2. The green peas and carrots are to be cooked together in this recipe, so make sure that the size of chopped carrots are of right size. Note that the red carrots cook faster than the regular ones, so if you cut them too small, they would get mushy when cooked along with green peas.
3. Cook the veggies by sprinkling water occasionally and tossing them in regular intervals.
4. This sabzi tastes best when made in ghee, however feel free to use any other oil of your choice for this recipe.
5. Keep the spices and masala minimal, let the flavours and earthiness of the veggies do the talking.
Serving Suggestion
Gajar Matar sabzi tastes best when served with hot phulkas or paranthas. Since this is a dry veggie dish, a simple dal pairs well to make it a complete meal. This sabzi can also be served along with rice and dal and tastes equally good.
Gajar Matar Sabzi
Ingredients
- 600 grams Red Carrots
- 1 cup Fresh Green Peas
- 1 Green Chilli finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Ghee or Oil
- 1 tsp Jeera or Cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1½ tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1½ tsp Coriander or Dhaniya Powder
- ½ tsp Amchur or Dry Mango Powder
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- ¼ tsp Asafoetida
- 2 tsp Kasuri Methi
- 3 tbsp Fresh Chopped Coriander for garnishing
Instructions
- Peel and chop the carrots in semi-circular chunks or a quarter of a circle chunks depending on how big the carrots are.
- In a kadai, heat 2 tablespoon ghee and on a low flame add jeera, asafoetida, chopped green chilli and turmeric powder.
- Add the chopped carrots and some salt and sauté for couple of minutes.
- Now add fresh green peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle some water and cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium flame. Keep checking in between and sprinkle more water and toss.
- Now add kashmiri red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, amchur powder and kasuri methi and mix well. Add some salt and sprinkle little water if required. Let the sabzi cook on medium flame in open for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Finally add ½ teaspoon garam masala and garnish generously with fresh chopped coriander.
Notes
- Do not chop the carrots too fine and keep them in chunks
- You could use also some finely chopped ginger too in the initial tadka
- Using Kashmiri red chilli powder enhances the red colour of the carrots. Also tossing them in oil initially before sprinkling water increases the deep red colour.
- You could use one finely chopped tomato as well instead of amchur powder if you wish to skip amchur.
- You can also add some fresh chopped methi instead of kasuri methi. Make sure to squeeze the methi well after washing to remove the bitterness.
- Do not overcook the carrots as they tend to get mushy easily. So cover and cook only for 5 or 6 minutes.
