Some Simple, Tasty Green Pea Recipes By Chef Kaviraj Khialani

Use green peas or mattar to make something healthy yet tasty in simple steps using these offbeat and easy recipes.

Pea Paradise Soup

Ingredients

• Green Peas- 2 Cups Fresh/Frozen
• Olive Oil/ Oil/ Butter- 1 Tbsp
• Bayleaf- 1
• Chopped Garlic- 1 Tsp
• Chopped Onion- 1 Small
• Salt & 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 For Garnish

Method

• Prepare all the ingredients for the soup.
• Heat oil in a pan, add in the Bayleaf, onions, garlic andsaute for a few seconds.
• Add in the green peas, potato, salt and all spices,flavourings, herbs etc, and mix well for 30 seconds.
• Now add in the liquid and bring to a boil, simmer for 10-15mins and cool, puree and strain the soup well.
• Bring it back to a boil, check for seasonings, adjust thetexture and serve hot.

Chefs Variations:

• For Veg: to make it more nutritious try adding ginger, greenchili, 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 soupand later add boiled chopped chicken in the soup and bring to a boil.

Nutkhut Mattar Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

For the Mattar Pesto:

• Boiled Green peas- 1 Cup
• ChoppedGreen chili- 1 tsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves1/2 Cup
• Fresh Mint Leaves¼ Cup
• Fresh Basil Leaves1/2 Cup
• Salt & Pepper To Taste
• Lime Juice2 Tbsp
• Chopped Garlic- 1 Tsp
• 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/macaronietc 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 grilledfish/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 yourchoice 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.

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Method

• Prepare the mattar pesto dressing and keep chilled in thefridge.
• Work on the boiled pasta and keep it chilled as well.
• In a mixing bowl combine together the sauce and pastaand 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 andchoose from the garnishes and serve immediately.

Ever Green Healthy Dip

Ingredients

• Boiled Green peas- 1 1/2 Cup
• Blanched Spinach Leaves- 1 Cup
• Fresh Coriander And Mint-1 Cup Mix
• Chopped Green Chili-2
• Chopped Garlic-1 Tsp
• Celery- ¼ Cup
• Olive oil/Oil- 3-4 Tbsp
• Salt & Pepper To Taste
• Roasted Crushed Peanuts- 2-3 Tbsp
• Chilled Water-3-4 Tbsp

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Method:

• Prepare all the ingredients for the dip.
• Using a grinder jar, we shall combine all these ingredientsand blend it into a coarsely smooth texture, chilled water will help us to get the desired texture without discolouring it.
• Add lime/rock salt/ chaat masala as per taste/add anyseeds like sunflower/ roasted sesame seeds/pomegranate seeds etc for a crunch as well.
• Chill the dip until being served, drizzle a little oliveoil/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.

Stay tuned to HerZindagi for more Chef Kaviraj Khilani who isbesides being a Celebrity Master Chef, is a Mumbai-based author, food designer, creative cuisine specialist, food writer and consultant. He is also the recipient of several National Awards.