Bihari Style Peas and Potatoes | Madhur Jaffrey

What do you cook the week after Thanksgiving? It’s time to clear the overstuffed pantry. Use whatever still languishing, including some prized leftover produce. Two items get my attention: potatoes and fresh young ginger. With that in mind, I come across the Bihari style peas and potatoes from Madhur Jaffrey’s Vegetarian India, A Journey through the Best of Indian Home Cooking.

By the way, my cookbook collection grows over the holiday season. There is much to explore and plenty to cook from. Nonetheless, the change of appetite for some spicy Indian vegetarian dish gets me all excited.

First, start with the aromatics. By and large, Indian cooking is no different from French, Italian or the American South. In France, mirepoix includes diced onion, carrot and celery. In Italy, soffritto contains minced onion, carrot and celery. For this recipe, Jeffrey calls for sautéing the chopped onion, with the pan-fried whole cumin seeds and their inescapable scent, for 5-6 minutes. Building a flavor bases invariably takes time and patience. The good news is: there isn’t much to do after that.

Add the grated ginger, chile flakes, ground turmeric to the aromatics. Lastly, add peas and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Stir for 2-3 minutes and the dish is finished.

After the much anticipated Thanksgiving meal, I’m ready for a quick and easy dish. What I won’t compromise is the flavor. By all measures, the Bihari style peas and potatoes pack a punch of flavor. The heat from ginger, cumin and chili reminds me of the Indian curry — but without the extended cooking. It never ceases to amaze me how aromatics and spices cooked properly can elevate a few generic pantry items.

Print Recipe

Bihari Style Peas and Potatoes | Madhur Jaffrey

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, peanut oil or mustard oil
• ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
• 1-3 fresh hot green chillies, finely chopped (I used chili flakes)
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 285g frozen peas, defrosted under running water
• 1 medium waxy potato (about 115-140g), boiled, peeled and cut into 2cm dice
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1

Put the oil in a medium, preferably nonstick pan and set over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 10 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

2

Add the ginger, chile and turmeric and stir for a minute. Add the peas, potatoes, salt and pepper and stir and cook for two to three minutes, sprinkling with a little water if the peas get too dry.

Notes

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bihari-style-peas-and-potatoes-vprlsmn3bmk#top