This green pea curry is a simple Indian curry with a creamy cashew, onion, and tomato sauce called makhani sauce. It's a vegan and gluten-free dish that takes around 35 minutes from start to finish.
For me, few things can be more comforting than a delicious homemade Indian curry with some rice or roti.
If you also enjoy Indian food then today's recipe for simple green pea curry is a must-try for you.
Also known as green peas masala, this curry is made by cooking green peas in a very flavorful Indian curry sauce made with tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, and cashew nuts.
This Indian pea curry is vegan and gluten-free.
What goes in Indian green pea curry?
To make this pea curry, you will need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- Green peas: Fresh or frozen, both are fine. I have used frozen peas, if you use fresh green peas cook them for a longer time. Or, fresh peas can also be cooked separately and then added to the curry.
- Onion: Red onions are the best for Indian cooking. You don't get the same taste and color from white or yellow onion. However, if you can't find red onion, use whichever variety is available to you.
- Ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic will give a better taste but you can also use ginger garlic paste.
- Tomatoes: Use juicy red tomatoes to make the curry sauce. You can also add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce for a richer tomato flavor and a brighter red color.
- Cilantro: One of the most commonly used fresh herbs in Indian recipes is cilantro. Don't replace it with parsley or any other herb in Indian recipes. If you don't like cilantro just skip it.
- Green chilies: Adding green chilies is optional. If you can't eat spicy food, skip chilies or remove some of their seeds to reduce the heat.
- Cashew nuts: Use unroasted cashew nuts without the skin. They make the curry sauce creamy. If you are not vegan, you can also add some cream when the sauce is cooked. Otherwise soaked and peeled almonds can be used too. Soak the almonds for a few hours i.e. until they turn soft.
- Kasoori methi: Dried fenugreek leaves are called kasoori methi. They add a very unique smoky flavor to the dish.
- Red chili powder: Use Kashmiri red chili powder. It will add a nice color to the dish but is not very spicy. If you prefer spicy food, mix Kashmiri red chili powder with any hot red chili powder and use that.
- Cooking oil: Use any cooking oil of your choice. Mustard oil, olive oil, canola oil,or vegetable oil, all are fine. Coconut oil doesn't go well in North Indian recipes like this so avoid using that. Non-vegans may use ghee or butter too.
Other ingredient details and nutritional information are shared in the recipe card.
How to make (step-by-step instructions)?
This simple recipe is very easy to make, just follow the easy step-by-step instructions given below to make it:
Step 1: Heat around 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add roughly chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and whole cashews. Cook until the onion starts turning brown. Keep stirring in between.
Step 2: Add chopped tomatoes, green chilies, and salt.
Step 3: Mix and cover the pan.
Step 4: Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are no longer raw and turn soft. It will take 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
Step 5: Allow the cooked vegetables to reach room temperature then transfer to a grinding jar, blender, or food processor. Make a smooth creamy paste. Keep the paste aside.
Step 6: Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds.
Step 7: Add green peas. If using frozen peas saute on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the peas are cooked. If using fresh peas, add some water and cook covered.
Step 8: Add red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and turmeric powder. Saute for a few seconds.
Step 9: Add onion tomato cashew paste.
Step 10: Cook for around 2 minutes.
Step 11: Add water and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Step 12: Finally add crushed kasoori methi and chopped cilantro. Mix and turn off the heat.
Green pea curry is ready to be served!
Serving pea curry
Serve Indian green pea curry hot.
It can be enjoyed with a rice dish like plain steamed basmati rice, any other white rice, brown rice, jeera rice, or curried rice. Or, serve it with an Indian bread like roti, paratha, naan, or poori.
Storing, freezing, and reheating the leftovers
Store the leftover curry in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
It also freezes well. Freeze in a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat either in the microwave or covered on the stovetop. Add some hot water while reheating if the curry has thickened. Re-season if required.
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- I have used frozen peas so they got cooked faster. If you are using fresh peas, cook them for a longer time. You may add some water to cook fresh peas. You can also boil fresh peas separately and then add them to the dish.
- Instead of adding cashew nuts, non-vegans may add heavy cream once the curry is almost ready.
- You can also add boiled potatoes to this curry. Non vegans may add paneer cubes too.
- Similar curries can be made using cooked chickpeas, tofu, mushrooms, cauliflower, or other vegetables of choice.
- I have used only basic Indian spices in this vegan curry recipe, you can add more spices of your choice like garam masala, curry powder, etc. You can also add more whole spices like bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, etc to flavor this curry.
- Though not a traditional way of making curries, you can also use vegetable stock instead of water.
Frequently asked question
This pea curry has a moderate spice level as the heat from chilies and chili powder gets balanced by the sweetness of cashew nuts.
If you want to make it milder, skip green chilies and use mild red chili powder like Kashmiri red chili powder.
To make it spicier, add more green chilies and use a hot variety of red chili powder.
The sauce made with tomatoes, onion, and cashew nuts, used in this recipe is called makhani sauce. You can make it in advance and store it for 2-3 days in airtight containers in the fridge. You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
You can use it in a lot of other Indian food recipes like aloo gobhi, aloo matar, matar paneer, dal makhani, etc.
More Indian curry recipes
If you enjoyed this green peas masala recipe and looking for more easy Indian curry recipes? Don't miss to check out the following links:
- Indian mixed vegetable curry
- Mixed bean curry
- Mushroom curry with coconut milk
- Matar mushroom
- Black chickpea curry
- Soya chunks curry
- Easy potato curry
- Brown lentil curry
- Lentil spinach curry
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Recipe
Indian green pea curry
Equipment
- 1 large pan or skillet
- Spatula
- Grinding jar/ blender/ food processor
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 2 cups green peas around 225 grams
- 1 large red onion roughly chopped
- 2 large tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2-3 large garlic cloves peeled
- 1 inch ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 1-2 green chilies roughly chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 10-12 cashew nuts
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- 1.5 tablespoons cooking oil of choice
- 2 cups water or, as required to get the desired consistency
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add roughly chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and cashew nuts. Cook until the onion starts turning brown. Keep stirring in between.
- Add roughly chopped tomatoes, green chilies, and salt. Mix and cover the pan. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are no longer raw and turn soft. It will take 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
- Turn off the heat and allow the sauteed onion and tomatoes to reach room temperature. Then, transfer the mix to a grinding jar and make a smooth paste.
- Heat the remaining ½ a tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add cumin seeds. Let them splutter.
- Add green peas and saute on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the peas are cooked well.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Saute for a few seconds.
- Add onion tomato paste and cook for around 2 minutes.
- Add around 2 cups of water and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Finally, add crushed kasoori methi and chopped cilantro. Mix and turn off the heat.
Video
Notes
- I have used frozen peas so they got cooked faster. If you are using fresh peas, cook them for a longer time. You may add some water to cook fresh peas. You can also boil fresh peas separately and then add them to the dish.
- Instead of adding cashew nuts, non-vegans may add heavy cream once the curry is almost ready.
- You can also add boiled potatoes to this curry. Non vegans may add paneer cubes too.
- Similar curries can be made using cooked chickpeas, tofu, mushrooms, cauliflower, or other vegetables of choice.
- I have used only basic Indian spices in this vegan curry recipe, you can add more spices of your choice like garam masala, curry powder, etc. You can also add more whole spices like bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, etc to flavor this curry.
- Though not a traditional way of making curries, you can also use vegetable stock instead of water to make this Indian curry.
- More recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this dish.
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