nimona with crispy roast potatoes

mushy peas just needed a better PR team it's not her fault :(

UP / Bihari food is sooo underrated but some of my favorite. A lot of it is really simple too and while nimona is usually a winter dish for when peas are in season in India, it’s the perfect season for it right now in the US where the peas are abundant and so sweet. Full recipe video here.

Nimona with Crispy Roast Potatoes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh english peas (you want the freshest, ripest, sweetest peas to get the best flavor since its the bulk of this dish)

  • 1.5 cup coarsely grinded in a small food processor

  • 0.5 cup left whole

• 1/4 cup green chutney (you can use my homemade recipe or quickly throw one together quickly in the food processor with: 2 garlic cloves, 1inch ginger, 1 tomato, 1-2 green chili, 3/4 bunch cilantro, squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt, and a tiny splash of water)

• Mustard oil

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• Big pinch of hing (asafoetida)

• 1/2 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp amchur (green mango powder) or sub with extra lemon juice

• Salt to taste (layer in salt as you go, you’ll need more than you think)

• 1 lime (mine wasn’t juicy, perhaps you’ll need half — taste and adjust)

• Water as needed for desired consistency (start with 3/4 cup and then after its simmered for a bit, add more if you want it more like a traditional stew)

• Roast Potatoes

  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

  • 1 tbsp kosher salt

  • 1/4 tsp baking soda

  • 1/4 cup ghee

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Roast Potatoes

1. Get started on the potatoes first: preheat your oven to 400F with convection and add in your baking sheet so it heats up as well. In a medium sized pot, add in the cut potatoes to cold water with salt and baking soda.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until a knife can go through with just a little bit of resistance (for small bite sized pieces like mine it took about 10-12 min).

3. Drain into a sieve, season with salt and pepper, and shake them around a bit so that you can get more texture for crispier potatoes.

4. To your hot pan, add the ghee which will melt instantly, and then layer in the potatoes and gently combine so they are all coated in ghee.

5. Roast for 15 min then flip them with a spatula and roast for another 15 - repeat and keep turning / shaking a few times until they are fully golden and crispy (total roast time around 45 min)

Nimona

1. To a kadai or pan, add a generous amount of mustard oil to medium heat and let it heat up until you see a slight smoke coming up. Then lower the heat or remove from the heat for just a bit to let it cool down. This helps lower the pungency of raw mustard oil.

2. Bring it back on low heat, and add cumin seeds, once they are sizzling, add in hing, stir for a few seconds, then add the green chutney/paste, and cook for a few minutes on low-med heat.

3. Add the mashed peas, coriander powder, and a pinch of salt, and “roast” it on low-med heat for 10 minutes until you see the color gradually getting duller and darker. This is where that classic nimona flavor develops so you don’t want to rush it / skip it and you do have to sacrifice the vibrant green color for it :(

4. Add in water, the whole peas, another pinch of kosher salt, amchur/mango powder, stir, and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally

5. Add in the juice of 1 small lime, add more water if needed to adjust consistency, and add more salt if needed after tasting. You’ll want to top with your roast potatoes last when serving so they stay crispy!

6. Serve with rice as traditionally eaten, or would be great with most breads too.