I don’t need an excuse to use peas in anything, as I’ve always been a massive pea fan. My mum and sister always kept petit pois peas in the freezer in case they had to cook for me. So I have been looking at recipes that are predominantly pea based.

This recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s easy vegetarian books but I’ve tweaked it a bit to suit my taste, and added olive oil, a bit of lemon juice and parsley so it’s even healthier and tastier. Peas are a fantastic super food and are one of the highest fibre vegetables.

This recipe is perfect as an accompaniment to baked fish, basmati rice and salad. It’s got all the sweet and savoury flavours that work well with the fragrance of the spices. It’s also dairy and gluten free. I drizzle a bit of dairy free kefir on mine to add even more good things. And it’s delicious cold in a warm chapati for lunch.

Recipe:

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:
300g of frozen petit pois peas defrosted (I defrost mine overnight in the fridge)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 red onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon of peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1-3 green chillies finely chopped(one is mild and 3 is hot)
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 medium waxy potato boiled peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
A sprig of parsley or coriander finely chopped
1 lemon

How:

Put the oil into a medium size pan and put on a medium heat. When hot add the cumin seeds and sizzle them for ten seconds. Add the onion and stir fry for about five minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the ginger, chillies and turmeric and stir fry for another minute.
Add the peas, potato, salt and pepper, squeeze of lemon and the maple syrup and stir gently for another few minutes, sprinkle with water if it gets too dry.
Serve with the parsley or coriander on top and I add a dollop of plant based yogurt.

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl