Peas in our time

IN MY KITCHEN: Kaushy Patel of Prashad.

THIS dish appeared on Prashad’s very first restaurant menu, and seven years on is still remembered fondly by my customers. The combination of the cauliflower and the peas is characteristic of traditional Gujarati cooking – we love good textures and a little sweetness in our cuisine. If you are using frozen peas, I recommend that you use petite pois as they are smaller and sweeter than ordinary garden peas. • 1tsp turmeric • 1tbsp ground coriander • 1½ tsp salt • 1tsp sugar • 75ml boiling water (if using fresh peas) • 400g peas (fresh or frozen) • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped • 1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Crush the chillies and ginger together with a pinch of salt with a pestle and mortar (or in a blender) to make a fine masala paste.

Heat the oil in a large thickbased frying pan over a medium heat for 30 seconds before Christine Austin recommends: Pour the light, strawberry fruit of Yali Winemaker’s Selection Merlot Rosé 2011, Chile (£5.99 on multibuy, Majestic) with this dish or the smooth, floral and citrus notes of Torres Viña Sol 2011, Spain (£4.69 until February 12 at Waitrose). adding the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, reduce the heat to low and stir in the asafetida. Heating the spices in this order is essential to the flavour. Use a wooden or heatproof plastic spoon to stir in the cauliflower, return the heat to medium, then stir in the masala paste, turmeric, ground coriander, salt and sugar, plus the boiling water (if using fresh peas – I find that frozen peas don’t need it). Cover the pan and leave to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Stir in the peas and tomato, re-cover and cook for a further 3-5 minutes before removing from the heat. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander then re-cover and leave to rest for five minutes or so to let the flavours develop.