Nimona happens for about ten weeks a year and then stops. Fresh peas come off the fields of the eastern plain from late November, and until they are gone the pot goes on two or three times a week: peas ground coarse, fried hard in mustard oil with the spices until the fat rises to the top, then loosened into a stew with new potatoes and, in many houses, a handful of badi. Where it is made changes what it is. Further west, towards Delhi and the Mughal Corridor, nimona is ground smooth and thick. Here in the east it is left deliberately chunky, with whole peas still visible in it, and that texture is the argument — a nimona you can see the peas in is the one made in Banaras and Bihar. Frozen peas will make the dish work all year and every eastern household will tell you it is not the same thing.
INGREDIENTS
- 500 g shelled fresh or frozen peas
- 4 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 dried red chillies
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 cm ginger (grated)
- 2 green chillies (slit)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 medium potatoes (quartered)
- 50 g urad dal badi (broken (optional))
- 750 ml water
- 1 tsp ghee
- a handful of coriander leaves (chopped)
METHOD
- Set aside a small handful of whole peas. Grind the rest to a coarse paste with no water — it should look rubbly, not smooth.
- Heat the mustard oil until it smokes, take it off the heat briefly, then return to medium heat.
- If using badi, fry them until deep brown, lift out and set aside.
- Fry the potato quarters until golden on their cut faces, lift out and set aside.
- Add the cumin, bay leaf and dried chillies, then the onion, and fry until well browned. Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies for a minute more.
- Stir in the tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder and salt, and cook until the oil separates.
- Add the ground pea paste and fry on medium for 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the base, until it darkens and the oil rises and pools at the edges. This is the step that makes the dish.
- Return the potatoes and badi, pour in the water, and bring to a boil.
- Simmer covered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the stew has thickened but still moves.
- Stir in the reserved whole peas and cook 3 minutes more so they stay bright and distinct.
- Finish with the ghee and coriander, and serve over rice.
