Nimona

Come winter & Nimona becomes one of the staple vegetable to be made with fresh green peas, spring onions and mungories or ‘wadis’ which are spiced and dehydrated lentil dumplings, it is a delectable dish. Basically an awadhi dish passed through generations by grannies. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredient:
½ kg. shelled green peas
5-6 small pieces of mungoris
200 gms spring onions / or normal one will also do
1 pinch asafoetida
1” piece ginger
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. Coriander leaves
½ tsp. Red Chilli Powder
½ tsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Cumin seeds
2 Cloves
2-3 Green Cardamoms
2 tomatoes puree
1 stick Cinnamon
Handful of Green coriander leaves
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
salt to taste
Mustard oil or 100 ml. Refind oil
1 tbsp. Pure Ghee

Method:
Divide the shelled peas in two batches finely grind one half and coarsely grind other.Grind to paste the onion, ginger, garlic and cumin, cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms and keep aside. In the same oil, fry the mungoris on a very slow flame till crisp and golden brown. Remove and keep aside. In a separate kadhai heat a tablespoon of pure ghee and add crushed asafoetida. When it gives off an aroma add all the ground peas and sauté till the moisture evaporates and the paste starts sticking to the kadhai. Remove and keep. Now heat the oil in which the mungoris were fried and add the bay leaves, grounded paste, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and sauté till the masala is done. Then add tomato puree and stir till the ghee separates. Now add the crushed peas, mungoris, ½ litre water and the garam masala powder. Cover and cook on a slow flame till mungoris are tender and oil appears on the sides. Serve hot garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, with plain boiled rice or chapattis