Turnips with Green Peas and Kashmiri Seasonings
Varieties of turnips such as the purple top and the waxed turnip or rutabaga all show up in my house in the dead of winter. I love Japanese turnips in Spring but am fairly ambivalent about these other varieties. This said, all these varieties work beautifully in this recipe for Turnips with Green Peas.
The Story of Turnips with Green Peas and Kashmiri Seasonings
Turnips might not be the most exciting vegetable, however handled with care they can shine. The first time I had tried a dish with turnips that had caught my attention and taste buds was at my friends Priti’s house. Her husband Mayan is from the Himachal highlands of India and turnips are used a lot in their cooking. His variation of this dish was with more sauce. It also included a lot of dried mint and a nice dollop of yogurt to create a delicate soupy gravy.
What are the Kashmiri Seasonings and Kashmiri Cuisine?
Kashmiri cuisine is the food of the Kashmir valley in Northern India. It is the cuisine of the states of Jammu and Kashmir. There are two major styles of culinary influences in this region. The Wazwaan or the cooking of Kashmiri Muslims and the Hindu cuisine of the Kashmiri Pandits. This dish favors the later style. Signature spices that represent Kashmiri cuisine in this dish include fennel, ginger and asafetida. Being sans onion and garlic, the dish fits into a saatvik diet.
Overall, the flavors are very delicate and rice is the preferred carbohydrate on the Kashmiri table. Often combined with lots of greens. The everyday staples are referred to as Hakh Batta, or rice and greens.
How to Enjoy Turnips with Green Peas?
When I think of this as a meal, I conjure up a vegetarian meal. Possibly with lots of steamed rice, kale with caramelized onions and lentils to add some protein to the mix.
A lively dish of turnips and green peas inspired by the highlands of India.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- 2 tablespoons oil (preferably mustard oil)
- 1 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon asafetida
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 6 to 8 medium sized purple top turnips, peeled and halved and cut into 1/2 cm pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk or soy yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint (optional)
- 3/4 cup of frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Lightly dry roast the fennel, black peppercorns and cumin seeds for a couple of minutes and grind to a smooth powder and set aside.
- Heat the oil and add in the ginger and saute lightly for a minute.
- Add in the asafetida, turmeric, kashmiri red chili powder, and the cayenne pepper and mix well.
- Stir in the turnips with the powdered spices and cook for 2 minutes until the turnips are well coated.
- Stir in the salt and the yogurt and mix well.
- Cover the pot and cook the turnips on very low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cover and stir the mixture, the turnips should be very tender at this point.
- Stir in the mint is using and the frozen peas and cook for 2 additional minutes.
- Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve hot.