This Punjabi style Gajar Matar ki Sabzi is a steamed and sautéed dry dish made with carrots, green peas and minimal spices. Though there are many variations of making carrot and peas dry curry, this recipe is simple and quick to make with a handful of ingredients. This dish makes for an easy lunch or dinner on weeknights. Savor with a roti or paratha for a comforting healthy meal.
About Gajar Matar Sabji Recipe
Gajar matar ki sabji is a regular dish in my home. In Hindi language gajar are carrots and matar are green peas. Their combination taste good in many recipes.
Simplicity is the key of this recipe. The three ingredients that flavor the carrot and peas are cumin, green chilies and ginger. That’s it.
The sweetness of the carrots gets very well balanced by the chilies and ginger. The dish is finished off with a sprinkle of the Punjabi garam masala.
You have a flavorful, spiced and delectable gajar matar to be had with some soft roti or paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice or kadhi-rice or curd rice. if you are having this dish with roti then plain curd will also go well.
This is my mom-in-law’s recipe. I simply love it when I share a recipe that I have learned in my family and which is made often at my home. This is also a no onion and no garlic recipe and gets done easily.
As a variation, sometimes we also add potatoes in this gajar matar sabzi. You can check this recipe of Aloo gajar matar that I had shared earlier.
Few similar recipes are:
The best thing about these dishes is that they are very easy to make. Simple and quick recipes that are made with minimal ingredients and go well with roti or as a side dish. Simple comforting Indian food.
I have made this recipe in a pan. But sometimes I also make it in a stovetop pressure cooker. You can cook this dish in an Instant pot or a stovetop pressure cooker adding water as needed.
How to Make Gajar Matar ki Sabji
1. Peel, rinse and chop 4 to 5 medium-sized carrots. Try to chop them into 0.5 inches of cubes or pieces. Set them aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan or kadai. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and fry them till they splutter on low to medium low heat.
2. Add 1 inch finely chopped ginger (about 1 teaspoon chopped ginger) and 1 to 2 chopped green chilies (about 1 teaspoon chopped).
If you want then you can also add ½ teaspoon red chili powder at this step.
3. Sauté on low heat for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger disappears.
4. Add the chopped carrots. You can use orange carrots or red carrots.
5. Next add 1 cup green peas. The green peas can be fresh or frozen.
6. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on low to medium low heat.
7. Add salt as required.
8. Add ½ cup water.
9. Stir and mix well.
10. Cover the pan with a lid and let the veggies cook on low to medium low heat.
11. Keep on checking and stirring the veggies while they cook. if the veggies start to get browned or get stuck to the pan, add a splash of water. Mix and cover the pan to continue cooking.
12. Cook the veggies for 15 to 20 minutes till they are tender and softened. The water should be dried up and evaporated. There should be no trace or any liquids in the dish. This is a dry dish.
If there is any water in the pan then cook without the lid till the water evaporates and the gajar matar sabzi looks dry.
Lastly once the veggies are cooked and all the water has evaporated then add ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder. Stir and mix well.
Garnish the sabzi with 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves or you can mix it with the sabji.
Serve gajar matar sabzi hot with some phulka or paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice combo or kadhi-rice or curd rice.
It can also be packed in the lunch box with a side of roti, paratha or whole wheat bread.
Few more tasty recipes for you!
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Gajar Matar ki Sabji (Carrots & Green Peas)
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 carrots small to medium-sized, (gajar) – chopped in 0.5 inches pieces or cubes
- 1 cup green peas (matar) – fresh or frozen
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch ginger – finely chopped or grated
- 1 or 2 green chilies
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder – optional
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala or punjabi garam masala
- 2 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons coriander leaves – chopped
- salt or rock salt (edible and food grade) as required
Instructions
- Peel, rinse and chop the carrots.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Add the cumin seeds and let them splutter on low heat.
- Add the ginger and green chilies. If you want then you can also add red chilli powder at this step.
- Saute for a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger disappears.
- Add the carrots and green peas together with the salt as needed. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on low to medium low heat.
- Add ½ cup water and stir. Cover the pan with a lid and let the veggies cook. Keep on checking and stirring in between.
- If the veggies start to get browned or are sticking to the pan, then add a splash of water. Mix well. Cover with the lid and continue to cook.
- Cook the veggies for 15 to 20 minutes on low to medium low heat till they are softened and tender. If there is any water in the dish then cook without the lid till all the water evaporates. This dish is a dry dish so make sure there is no water in it.
- Lastly sprinkle garam masala powder and mix well.
- Garnish the sabji with coriander leaves or you can mix coriander leaves with the sabji.
- Serve gajar matar sabzi hot with some phulka or paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice or kadhi-rice or curd rice.
Notes
- You can use either red carrots or orange carrots.
- Make sure that the carrots are fresh and tender for the best flavor and taste.
- Both fresh peas and frozen peas work well in the recipe.
- Cut the carrot pieces into equal sizes so that they cook evenly.
- The recipe can be scaled easily.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Gajar Matar Sabji recipe from the archives was first published on April 2012.
