Matar ke chilke ki subzi / Stir fried green peas shells

After a long, long time I am sitting down to write a post.
And ... well ... I can't think of anything.
I have forgotten to even frame sentences ... or so it seems.
Blank. Complete blank.
So I'll just start off with the recipe.
And hope the flow of thoughts will come back again ... soon.

So here's restarting posting with this simple vegetarian stir fry.
I do have a list of non vegetarian dishes that I hope to share here.
But for this post, it will be only vegetarian ... and vegan .... for my friends out there.

It is winter and we have been getting beautiful and fresh green peas these days.
So wanted you to try this before they disappear from the markets.

Winters mean fresh, sweet green peas. I love them.
And dunk them in any curries or stir fries that I make.
But had never eaten anything made from the shells. Not until I was introduced to this dish at my in-laws place.

Not much is needed to make this. The shells are sweet and I do not use too many masalas to overpower that natural sweetness.

This dish can be made only with the freshest of the shells ... mind you.

Need :

Shells of fresh green peas
Whole jeera / cumin
Hing / asafoetida
Dhania / coriander powder
Haldi / Turmeric powder
Lal mirch / Red chilli powder
Cooking oil
Salt to taste

How to :

Take a shell and snap it ( only the freshest ones will break ).
Remove the outer fleshy part very gently and separate it from the transparent  membrane inside.
(The membrane is very thick and is impossible to chew on if left on.)

 It takes time to do this.
So is best done at leisure.
You can store them in the fridge for later cooking.
If you want you can chop them up into smaller pieces ... I do not as they release a lot of water on cooking and tend to shrink.

Wash the peels well.
Heat a little cooking oil.
Add jeera and hing.
When the jeera starts to splutter, add the shells and stir well.

Add haldi, mirchi, dhania powder and salt.
Cover and cook ... giving it a stir once in a while.
When done, remove cover and dry up all moisture.

 Serve hot.

Goes best as a side with hot rotis and a dal.

I have made this in two other ways ... both equally good.
Will post them soon.

I'll soon start visiting all your beautiful blogs again.
Till then ... enjoy!


My other posts on vegetable peels

Stir fried bottle gourd peels

Plantain Peels Chutney