Add a pop of colour and texture to recipes with frozen peas

I have written about fresh green peas earlier in this column, so why this one on frozen peas? Fresh peas are labour-intensive and fair-weather friends; frozen peas are convenient, year-round kitchen saviours, while also working as ice packs for a nagging headache or a child’s injured knee. If you associate frozen veggies with the words, “lazy”, “unhealthy”, “not fresh”, allow me to convince you otherwise.

It is not lazy but clever. Using a highly seasonal versatile vegetable all year round, gives me convenience. In fact, I rue that in the US they seem to sell every single Indian vegetable frozen, from bitter gourd to raw jackfruit. We are yet to see that kind of convenience in India, where peas, corn and mixed vegetables are the only three items in the frozen veg section.

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Unhealthy? It’s healthy to eat vegetables rather than not eat vegetables, and having ready-to-cook frozen veggies makes it easier to add a serving of vegetables to any quick meal.

The other most common reason against frozen peas (or any other frozen veg) is the perception of “lack of freshness”. Some people argue fresh vegetables are superior because they are perceived as fresher. However, frozen vegetables are often frozen shortly after harvesting, which locks in their nutrients. Counter this by emphasising that frozen vegetables can actually be fresher than some “fresh” vegetables that have been sitting on shelves for days.

When fresh peas are in season, I make sure I buy a few kilos, shell them and freeze them in re-sealable plastic bags. You can also blanch the peas, dry them thoroughly on kitchen towels and then freeze them in smaller batches.

I for one, have nothing against frozen vegetables. In fact, I am grateful to Clarence Birdseye who first started marketing frozen peas in Chester, New York, in 1952. His innovations in food freezing and preservation laid the foundation for the frozen food industry as we know it today.

I am also grateful to Nigella Lawson for making cooking with a bag of frozen peas look glamourous and it is for this reason food writer Nigel Slater has anointed her with the title “the queen of the frozen pea”. Be it her pesto pea soup or chicken and peas tray bake, frozen peas occupy pride of place in uncomplicated family recipes.

Like potatoes, I find peas are a great solution to stretch a vegetable dish to feed more people. Dishes made with cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, spinach, fenugreek (methi), brinjal (try adding peas to baingan bharta next time), beans or even potatoes taste (and look) good with a smattering of peas in them. Of course, matar and paneer are meant for each other, be it in the tomato-onion gravy or with methi leaves in a cashew-onion gravy. Adding cooked and mashed frozen peas to mashed avocados is a neat trick when you are running short of ripe avocados. Frozen peas can also be added to your fruit and veg smoothie ingredients.

Fresh peas taste sweeter with a tender texture compared to frozen peas, which also tend to taste a bit starchier. Here are some of my tips I follow to make frozen peas taste better.

• Boil them in water for 3-4 minutes in an open pan. Adding just a pinch of baking soda to the boiling water makes the green of the peas pop while also softening the skin, making the peas taste tender and juicier.

• While frozen peas can be added directly to any simmering gravy, cooking them separately and then adding gives them a better texture in the final dish.

• When adding to pasta, tip frozen peas into the pot in the last 3-4 minutes of cooking the pasta so you get both cooked and ready to toss into the sauce at the same time.

Garlicky peas and spring onion soup
Serves 2-4

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
Half-cup chopped spring onion greens
1 cup frozen peas
1 veg stock cube
Half cup milk
Salt
Coarsely crushed black pepper

Method

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil. Fry the garlic for a few seconds. Add the onions and spring onions along with a pinch of salt. Saute on a medium flame for 4-5 minutes.

Mix in the frozen peas, stock cube and one and a half cups of water. Bring it to a simmer. Lower the flame and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the peas are soft.

Blend along with milk.

Return to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Turn off the flame. Serve into bowls and garnish with black pepper powder.

Peas almond patties
Makes 8

Ingredients
1 cup frozen peas
Quarter cup almonds
1 large boiled potato, grated
Half tsp grated ginger
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp bread crumbs (panko or homemade from stale bread)
1 tsp salt
Half tsp black pepper powder
2-3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
2-3 tbsp oil to pan-fry

Method

Cook the frozen peas in a pot of water for 3 minutes. Pass through a sieve and drain excess water thoroughly. Mop dry with a clean towel if needed.

Crush almonds in a mixer to a coarse powder.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the oil. Divide into 8 balls and shape into patties. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat a pan and brush with oil.

Cook patties on each side for 6-7 minutes until crisp and golden, using some extra oil as needed.

Serve hot with mint chutney.

Double Tested is a fortnightly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great Indian Thali—Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness (Roli Books). She posts @saffrontrail.

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