Mahanandi

Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Nimona

Fresh Green Peas of Summer

Sometime back while surfing the web, I came across a recipe with fresh green peas and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I had book-marked the site and also printed a copy, just incase the website disappeard. What attracted me to this recipe were the introductory words – “fresh green peas, strictly home-fare, and Awadh”. Also, more than anything, I loved the recipe name-“Nimona”. How pretty!

The recipe is from this website, dedicated to Awadh (The cuisine of Lucknow, India). I am not sure who wrote this particular recipe, but this unknown author’s description of nimona captivated me. Here is the author’s introduction to Nimona.

“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.”

June and July are fresh pea season here in Ohio and I bought few pounds of fresh peas keeping this recipe in mind. I tried to get ‘mungories‘ or wadis from local Indian store, but they never even heard of them. So I replaced them with new crop potatoes. The recipe is multistep, little bit time consuming and the end result is – Fresh green peas and potato cubes in pureed green pea-onion-tomato sauce. Fantastic!

Here is my version of Nimona:

Step 1 – Prep Work:
(Things needed: skillet, oil/ghee and a blender/mortar)

Peas:
2 cups of freshly shelled peas. Separate one cup of peas and keep them aside. Puree the second cup of peas into coarse mixture by adding a pinch of asafetida. Saute this coarse mixture of peas for few minutes, (to remove the raw smell).

Onions, ginger, garlic and cilantro:
Finely chop 2 onions length-wise, saute them in oil until golden and brown. Add 3 garlic cloves, one inch of ginger and few sprigs of cilantro and together make a paste.

Tomatoes:
Chop 4 tomatoes into chunks; saute them on high heat for few minutes. Make a smooth paste.

Potatoes:
3 potatoes – peel, cube and saute them for few minutes and keep aside.

Masala Powder:
2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods and one small cinnamon stick – powdered together

Step 2: Cooking them all together

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a big pan. Add the following items listed below in that order and Saute:
2 bay leaves
Onion-ginger-garlic paste
Tomato paste
Coarsely ground green peas
One cup of fresh peas that were kept aside
Potato cubes
Cloves- cinnamon- cardamom powder
½ tsp each, or to taste – turmeric, salt and red chilli powder
Add about 1 cup of water. Mix and close the lid. Simmer for about 15 minutes on medium heat, until the curry thickens. Switch off the heat and let the curry sit for half an hour to absorb the flavors. Serve warm with chapati or rice.

Nimona with Chapatis
Nimona with Chapatis

More about Awadh (Cuisine of Lucknow): Here
Recipes from Awadh Cuisine: Here
Photo of ‘mungories’ or ‘wadi’ – from Green Jackfruit

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Onions,Peas (Bataani) (Wednesday July 5, 2006 at 2:55 pm- permalink)
Comments (44)

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44 comments for Nimona »

  1. Yippeee…I am the first one to comment again..Nimona recipe looks interesting,will definitely give it a try.I made oatmean upma yesterday and it came out quite well.Really loved it.

    Comment by Anu — July 5, 2006 @ 3:20 pm

  2. Excellent recipe!!!Though I have posted a comment just once before I make it a point to visit ur website atleast every alternate day.I have visited so many other blogs from the links in ur blog and I’m impressed with the work of everyone.U really seem to inspire me a lot to start my own blog.I really love the way u present,ur style of writing.I have recommended a lot of my friends and family to visit ur blog and all of them seem to love ur recipes.I guess u have solved my dinner worries,I’m planning to try this recipe tonight.Thank u Indira.KEEP UP UR GREAT WORK!!!!!

    Comment by anusha — July 5, 2006 @ 4:09 pm

  3. Hey I am so glad you posted this recipe today. After seeing your Fresh green peas photo last week I was hoping you would post some recipes with peas and there you are :-). I do have some which I got from a wholesales market. Now I know what to make for dinner and btw the name is cute Nimona 🙂 Wonder what it means !!!

    Comment by Kerala Girl — July 5, 2006 @ 4:41 pm

  4. Really true Indira, no recipe is complete without the ‘special something’ inherited that makes the fare really wholesome.Nimona sounds quite interesting.

    Comment by ArSu — July 5, 2006 @ 5:31 pm

  5. We had this at one of our UP friends place. I never heard Nimona before and had to ask them a couple of times for the name(I kept forgetting). Thank you for the recipe. Will add it to my definitely make list.

    Comment by Pavani — July 5, 2006 @ 5:39 pm

  6. Hi Indira,

    One more nice recipe!

    I have also noticed that you have added ‘Blogtopsites’ counters on the sidebar and you are the top blogger in both the lists. Congratulations!

    Madhavi

    Comment by Madhavi — July 5, 2006 @ 5:57 pm

  7. I love this recipe becoz it looks similar to kurma but does not seem heavy becoz it has ground peas instead of coconut. Making it apt for my low-fat cooking.

    Will try to do this. Fotos as usual are gorgeous

    Cheers
    Revathi

    Comment by Revathi — July 5, 2006 @ 6:15 pm

  8. very intresting recipe…
    When even a recipe calls for wadi’s I substitute soychunks..
    Lots of green peas in the market now…Will this a try with soy chunks 🙂

    Comment by santhi — July 5, 2006 @ 6:52 pm

  9. That rhymes with Kimona! 🙂 Thanks a lot for providing new food links and introducing us to new cuisines!

    Comment by L.G — July 5, 2006 @ 7:30 pm

  10. Indira! quiet interesting recipie. Never heard about this before but looks great. Gotta try this as soon as possible.can i use the frozen green peas for this?

    Indira replies:
    Hi Bhargavi, I think this recipe tastes even great with that “wadi” (Dried pesara munukulu). I guess you can also prepare this with frozen peas, but fresh peas when coarsely grind, give the appearance of keema. This recipe is also called vegetarian keema curry and popular with muslims mainly because of that.:)
    If you try with frozen peas, let me know how you like it. Thanks Bhargavi.

    Comment by bharghavi — July 5, 2006 @ 7:51 pm

  11. Hi Indira,

    Lovely pictures and delicious looking dish. Nimona is such a pretty name, sounds more like a feminine name 🙂
    Mungodies can be made at home with Pesar Pappu. It is almost very similar to Pesar Pappu garelu made in Andhra. If I remember right, you just have to soak Moong dal for a little bit. Grind with green chillies and hing. Add salt, mix well and make some pakora shaped wadis and deep fry.
    I like the idea of substituting soya chunks also. (Santhi’s suggestion).
    Cheers
    Latha

    Comment by Latha — July 6, 2006 @ 12:20 am

  12. Hi Indira,

    Lovely recipe and pics!!!
    will try this with frozen peas, i doubt if we get fresh ones in houston.
    Thank u

    Comment by Menaka — July 6, 2006 @ 1:46 am

  13. Hi Indira,

    You’ve inspired me bigtime to start a food blog too!! But I wonder if I’ll ever be able to take as nice pics as you do!

    btw…you’ve become a celebrity in my office…Everyone’s hooked to your blog!

    Comment by Sarita — July 6, 2006 @ 2:59 am

  14. That indeed looks a very welcome dish…your snaps are amazing…kudos to the photographer and to the camera,and of course to the head chef of bloggers!

    Comment by shynee — July 6, 2006 @ 3:06 am

  15. that looks so appetizing Indira. You have a knack of making the most cumbersome tasks sound and look so easy. great job!
    you are a true inspiration…
    thanks
    swarna

    Comment by Swarna — July 6, 2006 @ 4:22 am

  16. “Regional cuisine lives in the home kitchens…”

    So very true.

    Comment by Vaishali — July 6, 2006 @ 5:05 am

  17. ooh, I’ve got a bag of Punjabi wadis – I’m sure I can use them in this recipe! Thanks for the tip 🙂

    Comment by shammi — July 6, 2006 @ 6:52 am

  18. A big thank you for trying this recipe. I have had this recipe sitting with me for a long time. I wasn’t confident to try as this involved several steps. You have given me the confidence to try it. THANK YOU.

    Comment by Krithika — July 6, 2006 @ 8:21 am

  19. Indira,

    I made this yesterday for dinner and we both liked it very much. Goes well with Chappathis. Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂

    Indira replies:
    I’ve been little bit occupied for the past few days, sorry for the late reply, KG.
    You two liked it, I am so glad to hear that.:)
    Saw any new recipes with fresh peas? Send me, I’d love to try, thanks KG.

    Comment by Kerala Girl — July 6, 2006 @ 9:30 am

  20. That looks quite scrumptious.
    By the way, I am regular reader of your food blog. Can you please post more photos of Kittaya. Thanks.

    Comment by Mukul — July 6, 2006 @ 4:10 pm

  21. Hi,
    I consult your website and Sailu’s website when I am unsure of what to cook for dinner. You both are doing a great job. It is unfortunate that when “Jihva Dal Event”is being held, the ban on lentil exports came into effect. Most grocery stores here (Bay Area) have run out of dals and the ones that have some stock left have rationed 2 lb per family at exorbitant prices. Hope India will lift the ban soon!

    Comment by Indu — July 6, 2006 @ 4:57 pm

  22. Hello Indira garu ,
    I came across your blog recently while looking thru the book marks of a girl’s webpage. Instantly attracted , I started checking your page and now I do it everyday!! I love the way to present your page with pic , interesting comments n description. Throughly enjoyable andi me page. Btw…I’m from Hyderabad and just beginning to enjoy cooking. Hope I keep up with your posting pace.

    Comment by Sushama — July 6, 2006 @ 8:09 pm

  23. Hi Indira,

    I was looking for vegetarian gravy curries for chapati and came across ur Nimona recipe, tried it today and it came out very good, delicious gravy curry with no cachews, poppy seeds and nuts. Nothing leftover for next day. My husband liked it very much.

    Nice photos also…..

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Comment by Prathibha — July 7, 2006 @ 12:35 am

  24. Very good try indira. I do prepare same type of curry with aloo,carrots and peas to go with veg fried rice. Tempting photos as usual. Your sunnundalu are simply great esp the hi-tech way to replicate our granny’s ‘tiragali’.

    Comment by sudha — July 7, 2006 @ 10:47 am

  25. HI Indira,
    You receipe has come at the right time.Iam leaving to India for good this month end and we get lots of fresh peas over there rather than the sweet/frozen ones here.Hae bookmarked this receipe of urs to try it back at home.

    Comment by Anonymous — July 7, 2006 @ 11:04 am

  26. What a nice recipe ! wonderful !

    Comment by Papilles et Pupilles — July 7, 2006 @ 11:28 am

  27. Thanks for introducing a dish from Awadhi cuisine Indira:)Have to try this one,though the number of steps looks frightening,some pain has to go into if we want a good meal:)

    Comment by Sumitha — July 7, 2006 @ 1:48 pm

  28. me wants..drool drool..unfortunately no fresh peas in kansas farmer markets..sigh..I love your photography as ever!

    Comment by disha — July 7, 2006 @ 3:10 pm

  29. Your recipe looks delicious! I live near Cincinnati and was wondering what part of Ohio you are in/what farmers market did you go to in order to find fresh peas? I would loooove to find some fresh peas around here but haven’t seen any.

    Comment by Erin — July 7, 2006 @ 10:19 pm

  30. This is quite new to me…. considering that I love peas, should try this out soon…

    Comment by Tony — July 8, 2006 @ 2:53 am

  31. Thanks all for your nice comments and for your helpful suggestions about wadi and soy chunks. I’ve been busy for the past couple of days, couldn’t reply to your comments individually and immediately.

    If you do try this recipe, please let me know how you like it. Thanks!

    Comment by Indira — July 8, 2006 @ 2:51 pm

  32. Hi Indira,

    This recipe is so good. I was hesitant because of the number of steps in the prep work but since my husband seemed to like the recipe, I made it yesterday. The dish was fantastic – very tasty. Mine came a bit watery though but still tasted good. We had with chapathi and also with egg fried rice and the dish went very well with both. Thanks for continuing to post great recipes.

    Comment by Nithya — July 10, 2006 @ 8:56 am

  33. This was absolutely delicious. Thanks!

    Comment by Michelle — August 10, 2006 @ 2:47 pm

  34. amazing recipe’s….just mind blowing! found the desired web site i’ve been long in search for!

    Comment by shamaine — February 25, 2007 @ 10:03 am

  35. What a wonderful idea? It looks like mattar keema (Peas and Mince). It seems the texture of the ground peas imitates the texture of meat mince. Brilliant idea for vegetarians. It looks delicious. I will definetely try to make this.

    Comment by Achut Bhandarkar — June 4, 2007 @ 5:07 am

  36. Indira, when i looking for what to cook with peas, this recipe came handy. I used peas,potatos,carrot(cut into cubes) and beans,
    and the outcome is so good. We enjoyed our dinner today!

    Indira replies:
    Glad to hear that you tried and liked this recipe. Thanks for letting me know Ragamayi.
    Have a great weekend.

    Comment by Ragamayi — June 8, 2007 @ 8:06 pm

  37. Made it today and really enjoyed it — many thanks Indira!

    Comment by Evil Jonny — December 29, 2007 @ 11:22 am

  38. hi
    Nimona is not particular to the Awadh region in UP alone . It is a traditional favourite cooked through the winter months accross the state.
    The recepie you came across and describe here is very unusual, for the Nimona i have seen cooked in my home is more like a dhal than a curry. It derives its dominant flavours from tender garlic shoots, corriander that are ground along with the peas, and a spicy badi or mungadi.

    Hello Chandan,
    Thank you for your informative comment.
    It would be my pleasure to try your family version of Nimona at my home. Would you please write the detailed recipe here. Thanks.
    – Indira

    Comment by Chandan — January 9, 2008 @ 11:39 pm

  39. Hi Indira,
    My family is from Awadh. And the version that I have grown up with, did not use tomatoes or onions. It was made with garlic, ginger and a different version of the garam masala quite similar to what you have outlined. It has a unique taste of its own. We used to make it with Wadis or Potatoes. Thanks for posting the recipe. As I have lived away from home for more than 15 years and I was wondering about the basic proportions.

    Hi Nupur,
    Thanks for your informative comment. Please do share the recipe of Nimona you have grown up with here. I’d like to try the real deal at my home.
    -Indira

    Comment by Nupur — January 12, 2008 @ 10:55 am

  40. Hi Indira,
    I read your recipe for nimona, it is really very good.
    I have very native version of nimona recipe as i am from Varanasi. I hope you will like my post.
    http://bimbim.in/post/2010/08/11/North-Indian-Recipes-in-Varanasi-Style.aspx

    Comment by bimbim — September 10, 2010 @ 3:33 am

  41. hi indira

    i dont normally write comments on websites, but your recipe for nimona brought back memories of my mom who was from lucknow. she was the only one i knew who made “nimona” and it was a winter time family favorite. to get the authentic taste, you really do need the badi (she used to make those at home too). i havent found good quality badi in u.s. but have been fortunate to have got some from india. thanks!

    Comment by purnima — June 23, 2012 @ 12:08 pm

  42. Really true Indira, no recipe is complete without the ’special something’ inherited that makes the fare really wholesome.

    Comment by Narendra Modi — January 29, 2017 @ 12:11 pm

  43. good bor.

    Comment by Hot actress Play — January 29, 2017 @ 12:13 pm

  44. very good post new tips .

    Comment by Anonymous — January 29, 2017 @ 12:15 pm

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