North Indian Recipes

Hare Matar Ki Daal is a delightful North Indian delicacy that transforms humble green peas into a nourishing and flavorful dal, perfect for those seeking something different from the regular lentil-based curries. This light yet hearty dish pairs beautifully with steamed rice, jeera rice or even hot chapatis, making it a wonderful addition to any meal. The naturally sweet and earthy notes of green peas are enhanced with a gentle medley of spices, onion, tomato, and fresh coriander, resulting in a comforting curry that checks all the boxes for both flavor and nutrition.

While traditional dal recipes often rely on toor or moong dal as their base, this innovative variation uses only green peas, either frozen or soaked dried peas, with a simple tempering of cumin, mustard, ginger, and green chilies. The process is quick, requiring little prep and cooking time, yet delivers a wholesome dish that’s both protein-rich and irresistibly tasty. Enjoy Hare Matar Ki Daal as a side with your favorite rice preparation, or scoop it up with soft rotis and relish the taste of home-style comfort any day of the week.

Hare Matar Ki Daal – Green Peas Dal Recipe

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By Malini Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cup peas/matar, soaked or frozen
• 3 cup water
• 1 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• Few curry leaves
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

Instructions

1

Blend the soaked or frozen peas into a coarse paste using a blender, without adding any water.

2

Transfer the pea paste to a pressure cooker, add 3 cups of water, and cook for 2 whistles on medium heat.

3

Heat ghee in a large pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, allowing them to splutter.

4

Sprinkle in hing and curry leaves, sautéing briefly.

5

Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Stir in ginger garlic paste and green chilies, sautéing until aromatic.

6

Mix in the chopped tomato, cooking until it becomes soft and mushy.

7

Sprinkle garam masala and salt, stirring until the spices are well incorporated.

8

Pour in the cooked pea mixture and mix thoroughly. Simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

9

Finish by stirring in chopped coriander.

10

Serve hot with steamed rice or your favorite Indian bread.

Notes

Tips:
Frozen peas are convenient, but if using dried peas, soak them overnight for best results., Adjust the consistency of the dal as you prefer—remember, the dal thickens as it cools., For a variation, combine green peas with a small quantity of toor or moong dal., This dal isn’t just for rice—it pairs excellently with roti, paratha, or even as a hearty soup.