Matar Ka Nimona Recipe

What Is Matar Ka Nimona?

Matar ka nimona is a winter green peas curry from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Fresh peas are cooked, coarsely ground, and then simmered with fried potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and a few warm spices until the ghee floats to the top.

It sits somewhere between a dal and a sabzi. Thick enough to spoon, loose enough to pour over rice. You’ll hear it called hare matar ka nimona or just nimona in homes across Banaras, Lucknow, and Patna. This is a very homestyle curry; you’ll almost never see it on a restaurant menu.

Don’t confuse it with aloo matar. The texture is the whole point of this nimona curry. In aloo matar, the peas stay whole in a tomato gravy. In nimona, they’re crushed, so every spoonful tastes of sweet, grassy peas rather than of the masala.

Traditionally, it was ground on a sil batta (grinding stone). A blender does the job as long as you pulse instead of blending smooth.

How To Make Matar Ka Nimona

Preparation

Shell about 1 kg of pea pods. You’ll get roughly 2 cups of peas. Get the family involved; it goes faster.

Chop the onions, green chilies, cilantro, and garlic, grate the ginger, and puree the tomatoes. Peel and cube the potatoes, then keep them in a bowl of water to prevent them from browning while you work.

Cook The Peas

Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon ghee (of the total 2 and ½ tablespoons) to a medium pan and heat over medium heat.

Step 2: Once the ghee is melted and hot, add 2 cups of peas to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes.

Step 3: Then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Stir the mixture occasionally while cooking to ensure even cooking.

Step 4: Then remove the pan from the heat.

Make Peas Paste

Step 5: Transfer the cooked peas to a blender and pulse until a slightly coarse paste forms. Do not add any water when blending. Try to keep the peas slightly coarse while blending; overblending will make the curry pasty. Those tiny bits give nimona its rustic texture, which makes every spoonful so comforting.

Fry The Potatoes

Step 6: Heat the remaining 1 and ½ tablespoons of ghee in the same pan over medium-high heat.

Step 7: Once the ghee is hot, add 1 cup of peeled and cubed potatoes (½-inch cubes) and fry until golden brown. Stir the potatoes frequently while frying to ensure they fry evenly on all sides. Transfer the fried potatoes to a plate and keep them aside.

Make The Nimona

Step 8: Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 whole bay leaves to the remaining ghee in the same pan and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.

Step 9: Then add the following ingredients to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned.

• 1 cup of chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic

Step 10: Add 1 cup of pureed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of chopped green chilies, then cook for 3-4 minutes.

Step 11: Add the ground peas, fried potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 cups of water.

Step 12: Mix well.

Step 13: Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook the nimona over low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until a thin layer of ghee floats to the surface. Stir a few times in between. This step defines nimona’s flavor, so don’t rush.

Step 14: Finally, add the following ingredients to the curry and mix well.

• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Step 15: If the nimona has thickened after cooking, add some water to adjust the consistency and bring it to a boil. I like it a little soupy. Taste the curry to check for salt and add more if needed. Garnish the nimona with chopped cilantro and serve the curry hot. Do not forget to add a dollop of ghee on top before serving.

Variations

• Green Coriander Seeds: Some of my friends told me they add a tablespoon of green coriander seeds to their traditional matar nimona recipe. They grind the green seeds into a paste and add them to the curry, along with crushed peas. You can also add 1 sprig of green garlic (hara lahsun) while making the paste.
• No Tomato: Many people don’t add tomatoes to their matar nimona, but I prefer to include them for the tangy flavor they add. You can choose to use them or skip them.
• No Onion, No Garlic Version – For a no-onion, no-garlic variation, skip both and add a generous pinch of hing to the ghee. Use ginger and green chilies for the punch.
• Nimona with Urad Dal Bari: My mother sometimes added urad dal bari (dried lentil dumplings) to the nimona. She used to crush a handful and fry them in oil, then add them to the curry with the fried potatoes.
• Stock Cube: Adding 1 vegetable stock cube to the Nimona recipe, along with water, will further enhance the flavor. Do not add any additional salt, as the stock cube already contains a lot of salt.
• With Green Chana: To make a variation, use green chana (hara chana, also known as green chickpeas) instead of peas. Replace peas with green chana and keep the rest of the recipe the same.

Serving Suggestions

We grew up eating piping hot nimona poured over a mound of steamed white rice or served alongside fluffy poori. Mom would drizzle ghee generously over it before passing us our plates. Her aam ka achar, always kept in a ceramic jar (barni) on the dining table, also complemented this combination well. A squeeze of fresh lime juice was non-negotiable.

The next morning, she would serve the leftover nimona with plain tawa paratha. You can also serve it with cooked quinoa, couscous, lachha paratha, or roti.

Storage Suggestions

Store this nimona curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat it well before serving. If the curry has thickened after refrigeration, add some hot water and heat until well combined.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat, and serve.