Green Peas Curry | Matar Chi Usal

December 7, 2021Niketa
Green Peas Curry

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Green Peas Curry – Light, lush, healthy, vegan and comforting curry that comes together in about 30 minutes. Made with green peas and minimal spices. Makes a perfect weeknight meal when served with steamed rice or bread.

Matar Chi Usal aka Green peas Curry is a very popular winter recipe made in Maharashtrian, Indian household. This lush plant based curry has the most incredible blend of fresh coriander, coconut, garlic and chilies. It’s quick and easy. You don’t have to slave away in the kitchen. Serve this curry with bread and rice, I bet your entire family will love it. I always have a bag of peas in my freezer as it comes in handy to add a healthy handful in curries and rice.

This Green Peas Curry is best made with fresh tender winter peas. Alternatively, feel free to use good quality frozen petite peas that are sweet, tender and flavorful.

This recipe makes me quite nostalgic. Had I been home around this time, my parents would buy kilos of fresh lush peas. We all would then sit around the table chatting and peeling the shells off the peas. These peas would then turn into a delicious curry.

  • Green Peas Curry

Green Peas Curry Ingredients:

The ingredients are simple and I bet you have most of them in your kitchen already!

  • Oil – You can use any neutral oil like olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil.
  • Garlic – Fresh garlic adds a lots of flavor to this recipe.
  • Green Chili – This recipe gets its heat from the fresh green chilies. Make sure you use chili without deseeding it. The white spongy membrane of the green chili near the seed carries the heat. If you want a stronger flavor, you can add more chilies than recipe calls for.
  • Coconut – I use frozen shredded coconut in the masala to make the curry rich. Make sure you thaw the frozen coconut. I simply break the portion I need and thaw the frozen coconut.
  • Frozen Peas – I use frozen petite peas as they are tender and have a delicately sweet flavor. Brids Eye is my favorite brand for peas as their peas are plump, evenly sized, tastes fresh & sweet.
  • Sugar – I like to add sugar to this curry as it brings out the natural sweetness in peas .
  • Fresh Coriander – makes this curry fragrant, refreshing and gives citrusy taste to the curry.
  • Lemon Juice – Gives a lovely tangy flavor to the curry and helps retain the lush green color of the curry.

How to Make Matar Chi Usal:

This curry recipe is SO simple, you can have it ready on the dinner table in less than 30 minutes.

  • Begin by preparing the frozen peas, boil them according to the package instructions and set aside.
  • Use a large skillet to make sure the peas are evenly cooked.
  • Secondly, grind ingredients listed under the title masala into a smooth paste. The curry base tastes and smells amazing. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh garlic and chilies.
  • Heat oil in a skillet add the fresh curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafotedia. Once everything splutters add the masala and cook until the oil separates from the sides. This ensures the flavors come to life and the sauce thickens up a bit.
  • Add the boiled peas and simmer for 3 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste.
  • Serve warm with bread or rice. YUM!

Tips to make a perfect Green Peas Curry:

  • Whether you microwave, stem or boil, its important not to overcook peas. A couple of minutes in boiling water is all that’s needed to ensure they taste fresh and maintain a vibrant green color.
  • Make sure you add coriander stems while grinding the masala. The stems are crisp, tender, flavorful and most importantly taste just as good as the leafy greens.
  • This recipe uses minimal ingredients that make it taste flavorful. Make sure you use Thai, Birdeye or serrano chili pepper in this recipe. Feel free to reduce to quantity of chilies you use. Alternatively, deseed the chili for the mild spice level.
  • Add generous amount of lemon or lime juice while grinding the masala. This prevents the masala from discoloring due to oxidization.
  • Add a little sugar to the curry as it brings out natural sweetness in peas.
  • Only add salt when the curry is ready to serve. Adding the salt too early can dehydrate the peas and loose its sweetness. Salt the curry after simmering the peas.
  • Green Peas Curry

Here are more Maharashtrian recipes you may like:

Tomato Saar

Masale Bhaat

Ukadiche Modak (Sweet Rice flour Dumplings)

Print Recipe

Green Peas Curry | Matar Chi Usal

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Serves: 4

Green Peas Curry - Coriander and coconut based Maharashtrian curry spiced with garlic & chilies. Makes a super simple weeknight meal. Tastes best with bread.

Ingredients

For the Curry

  • 2 cups Peas
  • 3 tbsp Oil
  • 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Asafotedia
  • 12 Curry Leaves
  • 1 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 cup Water

For Masala

  • 1 1/2 cup Coriander Leaves
  • 1/2 cup Freshly Shredded Coconut
  • 5 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 3-4 Green Chilies
  • 1/4 cup Water

For Garnishing

  • 3 tbsp Chopped Coriander
  • 1 tbsp Fresh Coconut
  • 6 Lemon Wedges

Method

Cooking The Peas

  • 1)

    I have used frozen peas for this recipe. In a sauce pan add 4 cups of water. Bring it to simmer. Add the frozen peas to the pan and allow the peas to simmer for 3 minutes.

  • 2)

    Using a slotted spoon remove the peas and place them into a colander. Set aside.

Making The Masala

  • 1)

    In a blender jar, add coriander leaves along with the stems, shredded coconut, garlic cloves, lemon juice, cumin seeds, green chilies and water. Blend to form a smooth paste.

Making Usal

  • 1)

    In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, turmeric powder, asafetida, curry leaves. Let the mustard seeds splutter.

  • 2)

    Next add the ground masala paste to the tempering and cook until the oil separates from the sides.

  • 3)

    Add 1/2 cup of water to adjust the consistency of the curry. Simmer it for 2-3 minutes.

  • 4)

    Next add the simmered peas, season with salt & sugar. Give everything a good mix. Further simmer the curry for 3 minutes.

  • 5)

    Garnish with coriander leaves and shredded coconut. Serve it right away with the bread & lemon wedge on the side.

Notes

  • Whether you microwave, stem or boil, its important not to overcook peas. A couple of minutes in boiling water is all that’s needed to ensure they taste fresh and maintain a vibrant green color.
  • Make sure you add coriander stems while grinding the masala. The stems are crisp, tender, flavorful and most importantly taste just as good as the leafy greens.
  • This recipe uses minimal ingredients that make it taste flavorful. Make sure you use Thai, Birdeye or serrano chili pepper in this recipe. Feel free to reduce to quantity of chilies you use. Alternatively, deseed the chili for the mild spice level.
  • Add generous amount of lemon or lime juice while grinding the masala. This prevents the masala from discoloring due to oxidization.
  • Add a little sugar to the curry as it brings out natural sweetness in peas.
  • Only add salt when the curry is ready to serve. Adding the salt too early can dehydrate the peas and loose its sweetness. Salt the curry after simmering the peas .
  • Feel free to add more water to the curry to adjust the consistency to your liking.

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