UP Style Pressure Cooker Matar ka Nimona – Step by Step Video

Step-by-step, authentic UP style, pressure cooker ‘Matar ka Nimona’ recipe using green peas (hari matar), potatoes, wadi, and curry spices. Served best with steamed rice and ghee. You can find tips/substitutes to make this recipe.

What is Matar ka Nimona?

As intriguing as the name sounds, it’s an extremely loved, popular, and sought-after winter vegetarian green peas curry recipe from Northern India.

“The fresh and soft green peas are mushed together to form a coarse paste and then cooked with potatoes, wadi (dried lentil dumplings), spices, and masala“.

Winter is my favorite season and growing up, I used to patiently wait for ‘fresh peas or hari matar’ to arrive so that mom could prepare this dish. Those were the days when we depended on seasonal vegetables as most produce wasn’t available all year round.

Hence, certain dishes are extremely special as they were available only during certain seasons unlike nowadays, where our reach has become truly global and all time. 

So, the moment we got our hands on fresh peas, I remember sitting with Mom and her friends + kids in the winter sun and removing the peas from their shells. It was more of a game for us kids as we used to count the number of pods we all collected and who came first 🙂 

Once the peas were shelled, they were evenly distributed among the ladies and we would prepare to make the dish soon.

Also, since we cook the matar (green peas) in a tomato curry, the color of this dish usually turns out dark orange or brown. To make it look green, do not add tomatoes.

Now all we did was wait for mom to prepare the ‘matar nimona’ or ‘matar ka keema‘ (as I used to call it sometimes because of its granulated texture) during one of the days, so we can DEVOUR IT!

Everyone at home had their favorite side to it but mine and Mom’s was ‘steamed rice + ghee and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top’ & we are in Food Haven.

The way the recipe is cooked, it has all the essentials of an amazing vegetarian curry …it’s thick, flavorful, aromatic, and perfectly seasoned. 

Matar ka Nimona Ingredients:

Before we begin cooking, let’s gather these ingredients:

• Fresh Green Peas (hari matar) – you can use frozen thawed peas or drained and washed canned peas too.
• Onions
• Ginger-Garlic paste
• Tomatoes – this is optional but I love adding it.
• Potatoes – optional but add a great taste
• Moong Wadi or Any Lentil Wadi – optional, but adds a bite and smokey flavor to the dish. 
• Fresh coriander leaves – for garnish
• Mustard oil – you can use any light oil of choice too but it tastes best in this oil.

Spices:

• Whole Cumin seeds 
• Whole Red chili
• Turmeric powder
• Red chili powder 
• Coriander powder
• Garam masala
• Salt – to taste

Once you have gathered the required ingredients, let’s dive straight to the making. I’ve divided the recipe into 4 easy sub-parts so that you do not miss any of the essential steps.

Prep Work:

We start by first heating the mustard oil and smoking it to remove the pungency. Then turn off the heat and cool completely.

Also, we pulse the fresh-shelled peas in a mixer or grinder to a thick granulated paste. Please don’t add water. Keep Aside.

Peel the potatoes, quarter them, and keep them soaked in a bowl filled with water (preventing them to turn brown).

 Thinly chop the onion and tomatoes separately.

Preparing the Matar Nimona Recipe:

Start by Sauteing the Green Peas Slightly: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT STEP:

We start by heating a pan or cooker and adding some smoked mustard oil.

Then add the mushed green peas paste and cook for 3-4 minutes on low medium heat to cook the peas till they are slightly golden brown in the bottom of the pan.

Remove from pan and keep aside.

Lightly Sauteing the Potatoes & Wadi:

In the same pan, add tbsp of smoked mustard oil and first cook the wadi till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.

Add more oil and saute the potatoes till golden brown and remove. Keep aside.

Prepare the Masala:

In the same pan, add some smoked mustard oil and add the ginger-garlic paste.

Saute and add cumin seeds and whole red chilies.

Now, add onions saute everything, and cook till onions turn pink.

Now, add turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt, and saute everything.

Add tomatoes, saute, and cook till oil separates the sides.

The masala is ready.

Make the Pressure Cooker Matar ka Nimona:

To the cooked masala, add sauteed potatoes and wadi. Saute and cook for a minute.

Now, add sauteed hari matar (green peas) and cook this mixture for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flames.

Now, add water, stir everything, and cook for a few minutes.

• If using a pressure cooker, turn off the heat after 2 whistles.
• If using kadhai or pan, cook for 10-15 minutes, till potatoes and wadi are cooked.

Once the recipe is cooked, transfer to a serving bowl and add the freshly chopped cilantro and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top.

Serving and Substitutes:

This is such a versatile dish, that you can serve it with almost any kind of Indian side like roti, paratha, poori, rice, daliya, etc.

You can also serve it with buttered English muffins bread or sandwich buns or hot dog buns.

Now, since this is an extremely rich dish, recommend keeping the veg side to a minimum like a light salad or chilled raita (yogurt dip) or basic Indian salad of cucumber, onion, and carrots.

As always, you can serve fresh Indian chai along with a dish to complete that whole traditional Indian winter home meal experience.

If you don’t have fresh peas, you can use thawed frozen peas or even canned green peas, just wash and remove any oil or preservative water from it.

You can also use ‘Hara Chana – Green Chickpeas’ to make this dish.

Often prepared during festive occasions and family gatherings, Matar Ka Nimona holds a special place in the hearts and palates of those who appreciate the authenticity of Indian home-cooked meals.

This is a GREAT dish to make for winter weekend brunch and enjoy with your friends and family. 

The dish tastes great for the next 1-2 days if properly stored in the fridge. 

Go ahead and enjoy this Winter’s Special dish from Uttar Pradesh, India, and do tag me on social media or drop a comment below 🙂 

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Tried Our Recipe – AWESOME!!!

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