The  cuisine of any region is incomplete unless the contribution of the housewife or home-cooking is mentioned. So it is with Awadh. Besides the contribution of bawarchis and halwais there are recipes handed down through generations by grannies which lend that ‘special something’ to the food. Regional cuisine lives in the home kitchens, and ‘Nimona’ is one such example of strictly home-fare. Cooked in winters with fresh green peas, spring onions and mungories or ‘wadis’ which are spiced and dehydrated lentil dumplings, it is a delectable dish. Some people like to substitute green peas with green chick-peas which are available in spring and are equally tasty.

Ingredients:

½ kg. shelled green peas          

150 gms. mungoris

200 gms spring onions

1 pinch asafoetida

1” piece ginger

6 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. Coriander leaves

½ tsp. Red Chilli Powder

½ tsp. Turmeric

1 tsp. Cum

5 Cloves

5 Green Cardamoms

1 stick Cinnamon

50 gms. Green coriander

salt to taste

3 tbsp. Tomato Puree

Mustard oil or 100 ml. Refind oil

Method:

Divide the shelled peas in two batches finely grind one half and coarsely grind other.Grind to paste the ginger, garlic and cumin. Also grind the cloves, cinnamon and cardamoms and keep aside. Finely slice the  onions, fry to a golden colour and grind to a paste. In the same oil, fry the mungoris on a very slow flame till crisp and golden brown. Remove and keep aside. In a separate kadhai heat a tablespoon of pure ghee and  add  crushed asafetida. When it  gives off an aroma add all the ground peas and sauté till the moisture evaporates and the paste starts sticking to the kadhai. Remove  and keep. Now heat the oil in which the mungoris were fried and add the bay leaves, ginger-garlic paste, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and sauté till the masala is done. Then add the onion paste and tomato puree and stir till the ghee separates. Now add the crushed peas, mungoris, ½ litre water and the garam masala paste. Cover and cook on a slow flame till mungoris are tender and oil appears on the sides. Serve hot garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, with plain boiled rice or chapattis