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Gajar matar
Carrot and pea stir-fry
Gajar matar (गाजर मटर): North Indian winter carrots and green peas stir-cooked with cumin and dry spices
Come December, the carts in Delhi and Lucknow are full of long red Delhi carrots and pods of fresh peas, and gajar matar becomes the everyday sabzi of the season, packed into tiffins with paratha or eaten with dal and rice. Diced carrot and peas are cooked with cumin, a little ginger and dry spices until just tender and sweet. Children tend to like it for its colour and mild taste. A portion is about 120 kcal. The usual mistake is cutting the carrot too big, so the peas go wrinkly before the carrot is cooked; dice it to the size of a pea. Chef's tip: if you can find the red winter carrots, use them; they are sweeter and juicier than orange ones, so you need no sugar at all.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 pinch asafoetidagluten-free
- ¾ in fresh gingergrated
- 1 green chilli (optional)finely chopped, leave out for children
- 12 ½ oz carrotspeeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 7 oz green peasfresh or frozen
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds; when it sizzles, add 1 pinch asafoetida, ¾ in fresh ginger and 1 green chilli and stir for 30 seconds.
1 minStep 2: Add 12 ½ oz carrots, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander and ¾ tsp salt and stir for 2 minutes to coat.
2 minStep 3: Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of water, cover and cook on a low heat for 6 minutes, until the carrots are half tender.
6 minStep 4: Add 7 oz green peas, cover again and cook for 4–5 minutes, until a carrot cube is tender with a little bite and the peas are bright green and sweet. Frozen peas need only 3 minutes.
5 minStep 5: Uncover, stir in ½ tsp amchur (dried mango powder) and cook for 1 minute to dry off any liquid. Scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve with roti or paratha.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gajar matar take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
- What can I use instead of asafoetida?
- A pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder (asafoetida stands in for onion and garlic).
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