Editor’s note: Mukta Tripathi, a Napa resident, is writing a series of articles on cooking vegetarian Indian food for the Register, based on her memories of growing up in India.

One of my weekend rituals is to visit various farmers markets in the Bay Area. That’s the only shopping that I truly seem to enjoy. Fresh produce brought to the market from nearby areas has always been a source of inspiration for my cooking.

In India, the farmers from rural parts come to the city every morning. Almost everyone, from vegetable stand owners to individuals, gets their produce from these markets. Most days my mom would buy what she needed for the day. On occasional Sundays, my dad and I walked to the market.  He never bought small quantities for everyday shopping like my mother did. It was always 10 pounds of shelling peas or green/fresh chickpeas, five pounds of carrots, three heads of cauliflower. My dad didn’t shop often, but when we went shopping we all would be shelling peas or chickpeas for hours for many dishes that my mother later prepared. Every time on our way back home, I would eat peas and keep the shelled pods in the bag. The cook always complained that we got ripped off because he though that the shopkeeper had stuck shelled pods in the pile.

At the time, we had two kinds of peas: Indian peas called Desi Matar, and English shelling peas called Vilayati Matar. The Indian peas were not as tender and sweet as the English peas, and were often used to make a soup that was served with rice — kind of a spring replacement for the everyday lentil soup (or Dal  as it is known in Hindi) served with rice. The English peas were cooked with cauliflower, carrot dishes and sometimes just by themselves.

For the longest time, we had only two kinds of carrots: red and purple. Red carrots were used to make both sweet and savory dishes. Purple carrots were primarily used to make a beverage called Kanji that was served before lunch. Very rarely did someone use purple carrots to make anything sweet. Unlike red carrots the purple carrot lost its beautiful magenta color when cooked.

When orange carrots first came to the market in India, they were the biggest hit. Most cooks didn’t welcome them in traditional dishes, but they were used in salads. While the correlation between health and diet might have been very low in those days, many stands offered sliced carrots with some spices and a splash of lime juice to the people on the street. I so wanted to try tasting them, but it wasn’t considered appropriate for many kids to eat off the stands for hygiene-related issues, so I never got to try them — but it sure looked good!

Ground Pea Soup: Matar ki Dal

In the springtime, we all welcomed this dish as a change from traditional lentil soups known as Dal. Peas were available only for a short while, and the concept of frozen food did not exist at the time. Even though shelling peas was a lot of work, it was well worth it. The peas were shelled and then ground coarsely with spices and used as a base for making this soup. 

Occasionally my mom added small, sun-dried lentil patties called bari. Bari was made with coarsely ground lentils, such as mung or urad, and spices such as coriander seeds and black peppers. There were many variations made by changing the spices or even adding seasonal vegetables. The patties came in many sizes, and could be stored for up to a year. Bari were lightly fried in ghee first, and were added towards the end to the soup. They provide an interesting dimension to the texture of any soup-based dish. It lifted the spirit of the dish, as my mom often mentioned.  Honestly, as a kid I didn’t like it at all, but as an adult I adore it and understand what she meant.

16 oz. frozen or fresh peas

1 inch of ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced

5-6 Tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil (for frying bari optional)

1 Tbsp. ghee

1-2 dried whole red chili pepper

1 inch peeled ginger root sliced

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. garam masala*

1 1/2 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds

8-10 whole black pepper

Salt to taste

1-2 Indian bay leaves or Tej Patta*

One-half cup bari* (optional)

2-3 cloves of garlic (optional)

3 cups of water

Salt to taste

Cilantro, chopped

Coarsely grind peas in a food processor. Remove 3/4 of the ground peas from the food processor and reserve in a bowl. To the remaining peas in the processor, add sliced ginger and the garlic cloves. Crush cumin, coriander seeds and whole black pepper and add them to the processor. Process to a fine paste. Set aside.

If using bari, heat 5-6 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamel, or glass). When medium hot, add bari. Stir and occasionally flip them so that all sides are fried. Scoop out all the bari from the pan and drain.

Pour out all but one tablespoon oil from the pan, and continue. Or, if omitting the bari, heat one tablespoon oil in a medium-sized reactive saucepan and heat to medium hot. Add Indian bay leaves, whole chili pepper and both ground pea mixtures to the hot ghee; stir to avoid sticking to the pan. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add water and salt, and mix well. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil; cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fried bari and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and when the dish cools down a bit, garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.

*Garam masala, spices and pre-made bari are available at Indian grocery stores, including Bazaar in Vallejo, tel. 644-1294

Cauliflower, Carrot and Pea Curry

Gobi Gajar Matar ki Subzi

Cauliflower was abundant in spring in India. We had several variations of cauliflower dishes. My mother made a seasonal pickle with cauliflower, carrot and peas that we all loved. This was a dish that went well either with an Indian bread called chapati or as a side dish with rice and lentil soup.

1 medium-sized cauliflower, trimmed, cored and cut into one and one-half inch florets

2 medium-sized tomatoes diced (or 1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes with juice)

1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas

One cup carrots, peeled and cubed

1 inch piece ginger root, peeled and cut into thin julienne

2 Tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil

1-2 dried whole red chili peppers

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 tsp. garam masala*

1 1/2 tsp. coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp. green mango powder or Amchoor*

1/4 tsp. powdered red chili (optional)

Salt to taste

Heat ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamel, or glass). When medium hot, add dried whole chili pepper and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add turmeric powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Be careful not to burn the turmeric powder or it will become bitter. Add minced ginger root and stir for 5 seconds. Add cauliflower and carrots and gently fold together with the spices. Add salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes at medium-high heat. Cover. Turn heat to low, stir occasionally and cook for about 20 minutes. Add chopped peas and cook for another 10 minutes or until peas seem cooked. Add green mango powder. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes at medium-low heat. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. 

*Amchoor can be found at Indian grocery stores.

Carrot and Pea Curry: Gajar Matar ki Subzi

Not all Indian dishes involve elaborate cooking of vegetables with complex spices. Everyone learning to cook may appreciate the simplicity of this dish, as long as they like carrots and peas. In India, we used fresh peas and red carrots. The recipe is equally good with regular carrots as long as they are sweet. Often equal amounts of carrots and peas were used, but feel free to play with proportions.

3 cups carrots, diced into

1/4 inch cubes

2 cups frozen or fresh peas

1 Tbsp. ghee

1-2 dried whole chili pepper.

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Heat ghee or vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enamel, or glass). When medium hot, add dried whole chili pepper and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add carrots and peas, and gently fold together with the spices. Add salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes at medium-high heat. Cover with a lid. Turn the heat to low, stir occasionally and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve as a side dish.

Note: There is no hard and fast rule how to cut carrots for this dish. Cut them any size and shape you like. If the chopped carrots are almost the same size as peas then add them at the same time. Otherwise, for larger sizes of chopped carrots, cook the carrots alone for about 5-6 minutes and then add the peas.