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Gajar Matar (Indian Carrots and Peas)

This vegan Indian side dish features bright carrots and peas cooked in an array of warm spices. It's a perfect side dish for your next home-cooked Indian meal.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 112 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
  • 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1 ¾ cups (325 grams) diced carrots
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 ⅔ cups (250 grams) peas (thawed if frozen)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or as needed, see notes below)
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon Indian red chili powder (you can substitute cayenne)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the onion, garlic and ginger in a small food processor and blend until finely chopped.
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add the onion mixture and stir over high heat for 2 minutes, or until softened. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cumin seeds and turmeric. After 1 minute, add the carrot and stir for 2 minutes. Add the ground cumin and coriander and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the peas, salt, sugar, and chili powder. Add water.
  3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrot and peas are tender. Stir in the garam masala and serve.

Notes

  • You may use fresh or frozen peas for this recipe. If using frozen peas, thaw them first, and then weigh or measure their volume. They will weigh more and take up more volume (because they're covered in ice crystals) before thawing.
  • This recipe uses both cumin seeds and ground cumin. If you don't have cumin seeds, you can omit them, but they add nice texture and flavor. Cumin seeds are also great when added to basmati rice prepared for Indian meals, and I also include them in my healthy chana dal recipe.
  • This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US). If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt! The type of salt will make a big difference in how salty your food tastes, so keep that in mind. My preferred brand is Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is what many restaurants use as well. Update Jan 6, 2022: I have reduced the amount of salt originally called for in the recipe so there is a bit more flexibility for different types of salt. Please adjust the amount based on your taste.
  • Adapted from The Food of India

Nutrition Information

Calories 112kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 5g (8%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 795mg (33%) Potassium 271mg (8%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 5g (10%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 112

% Daily Value*

Calories 112kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 795mg 33%
Potassium 271mg 6%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 5g 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.