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To serve: Lift pea pods out very carefully (some may have split, but that is quite normal). Serve in a warm dish, sprinkled with ½ teaspoon garam masala, if desired.

This dish may be served at a lunch, with an Indian “tea,” or as an appetizer at dinner.

Fresh peas with ginger and Chinese parsley

SERVES 4–6

Follow the recipe for Carrots and Peas with Ginger and Chinese Parsley. Substitute for the carrots and peas 3 pounds of fresh peas. Shell them and then proceed according to the recipe. Cook till peas are tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh parathas, Potatoes with Asafetida and Cumin, and Koftas. Instead of parathas, you could substitute Rice with Potatoes and Cumin Seed, Moong Dal, and Cucumber Raita.

For a Western meal, try serving it with a loin of pork or roast leg of lamb.

Sookhe aloo (“dry” potatoes)

SERVES 6–8

Here is a very simple potato dish which can even be made with leftover boiled potatoes. In fact, it is best if the potatoes are boiled at least 4 hours in advance of the final cooking.

7 medium-sized potatoes, boiled in their jackets and cooled

10 tablespoons vegetable oil

⅛ teaspoon ground asafetida, or ⅛-inch lump asafetida

1 teaspoon-whole fennel seeds

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds

12 whole fenugreek seeds

3 whole dried hot red peppers

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just before you start, peel the boiled potatoes and dice them into pieces about 1 inch by ½ inch.

In a wok, karhai, or 10–12-inch pot, heat the oil over medium flame. When very hot, put in first the asafetida, 5 seconds later the fennel and cumin seeds, then the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in quick succession. As they begin to change color and pop (about 10 seconds), add the red peppers. As soon as the red peppers swell and darken, add the diced potatoes, turmeric, and salt. Keep on medium heat and fry, turning gently so as not to break the potatoes. Fry for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are browned unevenly. Squeeze lemon juice over potatoes, and check the salt.

To serve: Lift out carefully with a slotted spoon and serve in a shallow dish. Warn guests not to bite on red peppers unless they mean to. This dish goes very well with most Indian meals. (I used to take sookhe aloo, parathas, and mango pickles to school as my lunch.) It can be taken on picnics, where it can be heated in aluminum foil and served with parathas or pooris, or it can be served with a lamb or pork roast as a “different” kind of starch. Try it also with my marinated charcoal-broiled “Butterflied” Leg of Lamb.

Pyazwale sookhe aloo (“dry” potatoes with onions)

SERVES 6–8

Here is another simple potato dish that can be served as a vegetable with pooris or as an appetizer, on top of crackers.

6 medium-sized potatoes

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

⅛ teaspoon ground asafetida, or ⅛–inch lump asafetida

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

2½ teaspoons whole black mustard seeds

1–3 whole dried red peppers (optional—1 red pepper will make it mildly hot; 3, very hot)

1 medium-sized onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1¼ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Boil the potatoes in their jackets. Peel them and mash them coarsely with a fork or hand masher.

Heat the oil in a 10–12-inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, first put in it the asafetida; after it has sizzled for a few seconds, add the cumin and mustard seeds; then in 10 seconds or so, the red pepper (or peppers). When pepper changes color (1 to 5 seconds), put in the chopped onions and turmeric. After the onions have cooked 3 to 5 minutes and turned brown at the edges, put in the mashed potatoes, salt, garam masala, and lemon juice. Fry, stirring and mixing, for 5 to 7 minutes.

To serve: Place in a warmed dish and serve with chapatis, pooris, or parathas. This is a good dish to take on picnics, too. Serve