Peas potato masala

Having a pack of dry peas in the pantry can save your day :)  That's what comes to my mind whenever I see this grocery item. I have written this recipe with ingredients, that can be stored up in pantry (without much grocery shopping). But feel free to substitute with fresh ingredients (for example use freshly ground  coconut paste instead of coconut milk as I have suggested). 

A Basic Indian meals always include some dal (protein) and a carbohydrate (rice or wheat flour). Adding yogurt in the form of a raita (a vegetable with plain yogurt) makes it more scrumptious. One can prepare a complete homemade food using dry groceries with a few vegetables for a month or more.

So before this 'social distancing' started,  I started buying some bulk quantities (enough for 4 months or more) of dry groceries like rice for meals, idli rice, brown rice, whole wheat flour, besan flour,  toor dal, moong dal, channa dal, green dried peas, rajma, channa, urid dal, spices , appalam, fryums , various cooking oils and a lot more to write down here . LOL ! then we stocked them up along with other stuffs.
I found that Potatoes and onions could stay fresh in fridge (I have never tried it before) and used canned tomatoes and the homemade ginger garlic frozen paste.
So instead of regular weekly fresh vegetable haul,  I started cooking a dry bean curry along with chapati or rice and some raita and we could never tell a difference.  In fact we love that simple meals too as much as the fresh vegetables! Some days went with frozen chicken, cup noodles, egg curry , sambar rice, rasam rice etc. I started cooking every alternate days to reduce the onion consumption as I wanted my onions to stretch as far as possible 😀 (I used to cook everyday). One such curry, that can be made bulk is this peas potato curry.
Here is a peas curry with potato that tastes yummy too!

Peas potato curry and beetroot raita with chapati.

Ingredients:
Dry peas (whole) - 1 cup
tomato puree - 1/2 cup
onion - 1 cup (chopped)
coriander leaves - a handful.
mint leaves - few
curry leaves - few

coconut milk (from can)- 2 tbsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
red chilli powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 3 tsp
garam masala powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
bay leaf - 1

ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Potato - 2 (200 gm)

Method:
Soak the whole dry peas in water overnight or in hot water for 1 hour. Click to know how to cook peas in instant pot.
Put it in a pressure cooker vessel and add enough water to immerse it (not above the peas). If the water level is above  will become mushy.
If the peas is under-soaked, then add water enough to cover the peas and it should stand 1 inch above the peas level.
Place potato with skin (after washing well) along with peas and pressure cook it. Pressure cook till we get one whistle reduce flame and keep in minimum for 5 minutes. Then switch off flame and open the lid after 10 minutes .The peas have the tendency to get over cooked if gone beyond one whistle.

Grind ginger 1 inch and garlic 5 pieces together. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry some fennel seeds and bay leaf.
Add the chopped onion, curry leaves, cilantro and mint leaves. After the onion turns golden brown , add ginger garlic paste and saute well.
Now add pureed tomato and saute till oil separates.
Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder , curry masala  powder , salt and stir well. Boil till the raw smell vanishes.
Add the coconut milk , 1 cup water and let it come to a boil.
Peel the potatoes and cut into big cubes.
Then add the potato, cooked peas along with the water.
Mix well , check for salt and let it boil for two minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Pattani urulaikilangu kuruma is ready!

Serving suggestions:
serve hot with rice ,chapathi or naan .
Makes 5 cups of pattani kuruma .