spicy green peas with onion and ginger

I’m sure you have recipes you know and love for your fresh peas—but here’s one of our favorites, Indian-style. It’s from Neelam Batra’s 1,000 Indian Recipes. It’s great with the spicy roasted cauliflower with red peppers and cumin and some brown basmati rice… you could even do the beet pilaf with dill if you’re feeling inspired. If not, though, just use the pilaf recipe to get perfectly-cooked plain brown basmati. The peas also go very nicely with the red lentils with zucchini (or substitute broccoli for the zucchini).
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger root
2 fresh green jalepeno peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded with a spoon, and minced
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 large onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne, or less if you prefer it mild
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, or more to taste
1 pound fresh or frozen peas
1 teaspoon mango powder (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon garam masala
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the ginger, jalapenos, and cumin seeds; they should sizzle on contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric and salt, then mix in the peas and cook, stirring until all the juices evaporate and the spices cling to the peas. Mix in the mango powder, if using, and lemon juice, sprinkle the garam masala on top, and serve.