Simple Gajar Matar- a winter staple in northern India made with fresh winter carrots and green peas! This vegan dish goes well with hot rotis!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon mustard oil (15 ml, or use any oil of choice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 1 green chili (chopped, or to taste)
  • 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 inch ginger (finely chopped)
  • 7-8 medium carrots (430 grams, diced into 1/2 inch or smaller, use red carrots if possible)
  • 1 cup green peas (135 grams, I used frozen peas, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes)
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons water (or as needed)
  • 1-2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

Method

  1. Heat mustard oil on medium-high heat in a pan until it's really hot (this is important to get rid of the raw smell of mustard oil). Then lower the heat and add cumin seeds and hing, let the cumin seeds sizzle and then add green chili, chopped garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the diced carrots and peas (frozen peas which were soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and then drained) and stir well.
  3. Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt, along with 2 tablespoons water and mix well.
  4. Cover and cook until the veggies are cooked through on medium heat, it took 6 to 7 minutes here since carrots were super fresh. It might take more time depending on the variety and freshness of carrots. You might also need to add more water as needed while cooking. Add cilantro, you can also sprinkle garam masala. Serve gajar matar sabzi with warm roti!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.