Mandaar Sukhtankar Executive Chef The Park, Hyderabad
Writing for the Sunday Chronicle is often preceded by a few million thoughts and sifting these to get what I want to write can be a bit daunting. This time the writer’s block couldn’t be blockier, heavier or tougher to get around.
Christmas and New Year eve had just been left behind and the New Year was staring me in the face with tons of work to be done. The inbox had almost made my computer screen bulge. I am wont to exaggerate but I think I may have had a few thousand ‘Happy New Years’ to respond to as well. It made me wonder what the fuss was all about, ’twas just another date change after all. I shuddered when I looked at the phone, a couple of million sms, and whatsapps and what nots to read and reply!
Oh and hold on, there were a dozen calls from a dear friend as well. I wondered why? I called back and realised that he was half way over the moon as he told me that he had just been blessed with twins on 1st Jan! And I was required to haul my pretty self as quickly as possible to come and see my brand new nieces.
And there I was, half an hour later, in the hospital, bleary eyed and tired in body but refreshed and buoyant in spirit, looking at them. Cute and innocent, with baby wrinkles, tiny feet with tinier little nails, fine hair that had been neatly brushed into place, tiny hands (and I just love when they wrap them around your little pinkies like tendrils). I looked and looked and looked and didn’t know what to say to the doting parents. The twins looked so strikingly similar —like two peas snuggled in. Wait a minute, there it was, tendrils? Peas in a pod? Get it? I had been called half-a-dozen times to let me know what to write about in the Sunday Chronicle.
Inspiration can be found anywhere, even in a neo natal ward! To put it mildly I was rather appeased.
Warmongering, petty politics and crime has reduced us to become rough, brazen and uncouth people. Isn’t it time we bring in the peas?
This New Year I wish you all lots of peas. Peas at home, peas at the office, peas in your love life and peas in your hearts.
Though peas are the flavour of the spring in Europe, here in India they are more so the pride of the winters.
As a child I remember sitting in the fading afternoon sun in our verandah, popping open the pods. The yield was always lower than expected, as I would pop the smaller peas right into my mouth. They were sweeter and softer. The larger peas would be kept for the curries and soup.
Peas marry well with butter, almonds and carrots. They taste specially great when cooked with rice either in a pulao or in the classic risotto risi e bisi.
Fennel, mint and onions are the other amorous significant others that the peas love to hang out with. They are also particularly great with ham, bacon and pancetta.
Home style wasabi peas
Everyone loves the store bought version, here’s my milder and elegant take on it.
Ingredients
- Fresh green peas: 500 gm
- Wasabi paste: 50 gm
- Coconut milk: About 2 tbsp or as required
- Cornflour: 6 tbsp or 60 gm
- Refined flour: 3 tbsp or 30 gm
- Salt: To taste
- Refined oil: 8 tbsp
- Seasoning powder
- Salt: To taste
- Lemon seasoning powder: ½ tbsp
- Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
- Wasabi powder: 3 tbsp
Method
- Wash the shelled peas and dry them on a kitchen towel. This is important to make the seasoning stick to them.
- Add the wasabi paste and rub it all over the peas. Add the coconut milk and move the peas around till they look wettish.
- Dust over the cornflour and flour and just roll the peas in the mixing pan. If you try to rub it with your hands the coating may come onto your fingers.
- In a wok or kadhai, heat about 2 tbsp of refined oil. Slip in the peas and shallow fry, tossing every now and then. Be careful to not allow them to sit in the oil too long as fresh peas tend to splutter. Drain onto an absorbent kitchen paper. Repeat with remainder of the peas.
- When all the peas are done, sprinkle the seasoning powder (if using).
- These are wonderful when a bit warm. The seasoning powder is just if you need an extra kick and don’t fret if there’s no wasabi, use a spicy chilli powder instead, your sinuses will love it anyways.
