Matar Kheema - Chicken Mince and Peas

Life takes very curvaceous turns. Sometimes you are on a high, and when you feel you have reached the peak, it can drag you down in the most awkward way. When life moves the way it wants (or the way God has destined it to move!), we realize how vulnerable we are, to the uncertainties of life. We do not know what is in store for us, coming up in the very next moment. All I do every time  is to pray to the Almighty that he does not grant such surprises that I may not be able to take mentally, in fact, for everybody. Some people are strong, some may look strong but at the back of things, they are brittle. Yesterday was such a day for me   - I was excited in the morning but then in the evening it took a different turn. Alhamdulillah, things came back into place but then it made me recognize the fact that we have no control over what we are to do. There is a much higher force to control our daily activities.

I guess that's too much philosophy for a food blog, but then I guess you can understand that I am not 100% out of what happened yesterday. :) Thank God for my work and this blog, I am feeling relaxed. We have to trust Him for His better plans, right?

Today's recipe is a very simple curry, but loaded with flavors. It's so easy to prepare on a lazy day but when served with chappathi, just tastes awesome. Another plus point of this curry is that you can use it as fillers for your samosas or puffs. That is how versatile it is!!!

Matar Kheema

Serves 4

Ingredients:

400 gm chicken mince
2 meduim onion, sliced thinly
3 green chillies (increase as per spiciness)
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 meduim tomato, sliced
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt as required
Oil, as required
2 tbsp coriander leaves
A dash of black pepper powder

Method:

Heat your saucepan and pour oil. Once hot, add the sliced onion, chillies and sufficient salt and saute till transparent. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the mince and stir continuously till fried, breaking the lumps, if any. Add in all the spices and fry for a minute. Add the tomato paste and the tomato and cook till the tomatoes are mashed and the mince looks well cooked. Add little water if the mixture gets too dry and sticks to the pan.

Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes. Finally, add the coriander leaves and black pepper powder and give it a nice stir. Serve with chappathi or parathas.

Tip: For little gravy, you can try adding a couple of tablespoons of yogurt. It will give a tangy taste as well as some wetness to the Matar Kheema!