Pumpkin & Pea Bazi

Pumpkin & Pea Bazi

Short, quick and minimum cooking time or long and complicated, all day in the kitchen cooking? Which do you prefer? Or does it vary? Do you like weekday meals to be quick and easy but then spend time at the weekend making something more special? Do you tend to use ready prepared meals or something from the freezer, or do you cook from scratch all the time?

Several of my friends come from a Bengali background and I’m amazed how long they all spend in the kitchen! I love cooking but if I was to spend three hours cooking one dish I’m pretty sure I’d soon get bored not to mention tired… and hungry! 😛 Imagine my surprise then when (oh I love whatsapp)! one of my friends said she had learnt from her Mum to cook quickly! Oh yes… definitely interested… tasty Bengali food and quick? Yes please! 😀

This is a dry spicy dish (dry as in no sauce). You can use any vegetables you like (I was gifted a LOAD of pumpkin) so just use what you have. It takes about 15 minutes start to finish and is oh so tasty! I wish I’d known about this before it would make midweek cooking not only easy but delicious too! So… thank you to my friend for this delicious addition to my skills! 🙂

Pumpkin & Pea Bazi (vegan & Free-From)

Servings: 1-2
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Gather

Oil (I used coconut oil)
1.5 teaspoons ajwain seeds
1 medium onion in chunks (or sub 1/2 a leek as I did)
Salt to taste (I used pink Himalayan)
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4 cups pumpkin cubed
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 spinach
*optional fresh coriander or mint to garnish

Prepare

Heat (or melt) to oil in a deep pan and add the ajwain seeds. When the seeds start to sizzle, add the onion, sprinkle over the salt and mix to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are just starting to brown.
Stir in the coriander and turmeric powders and allow to cook for a minute.
Add the pumpkin, peas and spinach (or other veg). Stir, then cover. Leave the veg to cook on a medium to high heat for 5-10 minutes, shaking the pan periodically to prevent it sticking.
Check that the vegetables are cooked to your liking and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle over fresh herbs if using.
Enjoy! 🙂

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