Savor the taste of Kovalam Matar, a vegan and gluten-free green peas curry that combines the richness of coconut with fragrant spices. This Kerala-style kurma masala is a delightful and wholesome weekday meal that comes together in 30 minutes.
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What is Kovalam Matar
In this Kerala-style curry recipe, mildly sweet green peas are cooked in a creamy coconut sauce that's made with rich and fragrant spices and seasonings. It's a very comforting and delicious weekday meal that's vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free recipe. The flavors are mild and non-spicy, which makes it a healthy and wholesome dish even for children.
This green peas curry recipe gets its name from Kovalam, a beach town by the Arabian Sea in the Thiruvananthapuram metropolitan area in Kerala, India. Their cuisine relies heavily on the use of coconut because the shore is lined with coconut palm trees. This simple curry with green peas (matar in Hindi and Paccha Pattani in Tamil) is also served in many South Indian restaurants in the name of Pattani Kurma.
Some curry recipes that use coconut or coconut milk as a key ingredient are Chettinad Chickpea Coconut Curry, Avial, Cauliflower Tomato Rassa, and Chanya Ros.
Why Make It
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free curry
- It can be made with dry, frozen, or fresh green peas
- Simple, easy, and quick to make
- It's a one-pot meal
- Ideal recipe for busy weekdays
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Green Peas - I have used mature firm frozen green peas in this South Indian vegan matar masala recipe. You can also use fresh peas. Just remember to increase the cooking time if doing so. If you have dry peas, soak them overnight and then cook them in a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot with water, turmeric powder, and salt. Then they can be used. Canned green peas can also be used.
Coconut - Use shredded or desiccated (unsweetened) coconut for this recipe. Freshly shredded coconut or coconut chunks taste the best though in this green peas bhaji.
Spices - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder are used in this green peas masala curry recipe. The sweetness of green peas perfectly complements these bold spices.
Aromatics - curry leaves, cilantro, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, and onions give this matar ki sabzi an aromatic earthy flavor.
Cashew paste - You can either use store-bought cashew paste or make it at home. Soak a cup of cashews in hot water for 15 minutes. Then blend till it is smooth.
How To Make It 🔪
To make the masala paste
- Add coconut, garlic, green chillies, and cashew paste to a blender.
- Blitz to make a smooth paste by adding water. Add more water than recommended if needed. Keep it aside for now.
To prepare the Peas curry
- Heat vegan ghee or oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds, and cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and urad dal. Fry till the urad dal turns light golden.
- Then add finely chopped onions along with salt and saute till the onions turn translucent. This could take 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
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- Next, add the ground paste along with half a cup of water (to prevent the ground masala from sticking to the bottom of the pan). Mix and cook this for 4-5 minutes on medium flame or until the raw smell goes away.
- Now add the seasonings like turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder, and salt. Continue to cook for a minute.
- Then add the thawed/cooked green peas to the pan along with the remaining water. Cook the curry covered for 8-10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve this restaurant-style Kerala matar curry warm with any Indian flatbread like roti, chapati, paratha, naan, bhakhri, kulcha, Puri, or warm bread along with some papad. I also like to serve Matar masala with rice or Jeera Rice. Some low-carb options are quinoa or cauliflower rice. Serve some raita like Burani Raita, or Beets Peanut Raita on the side.
This Pattani Kurma is ideal for weekdays, to pack in lunchboxes, potlucks, brunches, and even weekends. It's also a common breakfast item in South India where it's served with parotta, Idiyappam, Appam, or dosa along with Chai or Filter Coffee.
You can pair it with Buttermilk Popsicles, Mohabbat ka Sharbat, or Rose Lemonade. Some salads that will go well with it are Spicy Cucumber Salad or Tomato Croutons Salad.
💭 Priya's Recipe Tips
You can use freshly shredded or desiccated coconut for this recipe. However, fresh coconut tastes the best. You can make green peas kurma without onion and garlic if needed. If you want to make Kerala matar curry recipe without coconut, add tomatoes instead. It will also make the curry tangy. Instead of cashew paste, you can also use blanched almonds.
FAQs 📖
I have used mature firm frozen green peas to make this South Indian vegan curry. You can also use fresh peas. Just remember to increase the cooking time if doing so. If you have dry peas, soak them overnight and then cook them in a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot with water, turmeric powder, and salt. Then they can be used. Canned or sprouted green peas can also be used.
The final consistency of this matar ki sabzi should be semi-gravy-like. If the gravy is not thick enough, add a mashed potato, cashew/almond powder, or a flour slurry. Mash some of the green peas lightly. That will also help thicken the gravy. If the gravy is too thick, add more water or coconut milk to get the desired curry consistency. If adding coconut milk, don't boil the curry after adding it as the curry may split.
Chickpeas, soya chunks, tofu, or paneer cubes can also be added to the curry for extra protein and bite. Potatoes can also be added to this curry. That will make it simialar to Aloo Matar and Matar ka Nimona. You can also add mushrooms and carrots to this vegan green peas gravy.
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. It stays good for 3-4 days. It's a great meal-prep recipe. Kovalam Matar will thicken as it cools. Add some warm water and reheat when needed. To make this curry ahead of time, prepare the coconut paste and store it in the fridge for 2 days. Then use it to make this tasty Paccha Pattani Kurma.
Instead of matar, you can also make this delicious masala curry with different kinds of beans and legumes. For example - green lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, butter beans, pigeon peas, edamame, or yellow peas. Vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms, and potatoes can also be used as a substitute for green peas.
Yes. You can follow my Yellow Peas Coconut Curry recipe to see how to make it in the Instant Pot. Cook it in manual mode for 2 minutes. The slow cooker can also be used.
More Indian recipes with green peas
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Recipe 📖
Kovalam Matar: Kerala-Style Green Peas Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
To make the masala paste
- 1 cup coconut
- 3 tablespoon cashew paste or soaked cashews
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 3 green chillies
- ¼ cup water
To prepare the curry
- 1 tablespoon vegan ghee or oil/vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon urad dal
- 5-6 curry leaves
- 1 onion
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 cups green peas
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chilly powder
- salt
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
To make the masala paste
- Add coconut, garlic, green chillies, and cashew paste to a blender.
- Blitz to make a smooth paste by adding water. Add more water than recommended if needed. Keep it aside for now.
To prepare the curry
- Heat vegan ghee or oil in a pan and temper mustard seeds, and cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and urad dal. Fry till the urad dal turns light golden.
- Then add finely chopped onions along with salt and saute till the onions turn translucent. This could take 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
- Next, add the ground paste along with half a cup of water (to prevent the ground masala from sticking to the bottom of the pan). Mix and cook this for 4-5 minutes on medium flame or until the raw smell goes away.
- Now add the seasonings like turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilly powder, and salt. Continue to cook for a minute.
- Then add the thawed/cooked green peas to the pan along with the remaining water. Cook the curry covered for 8-10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm with any Indian flatbread.
giina says
This was super good! Such refreshing flavours for our household (we usually eat European and Punjabi food) that everyone loved. Bonus points for being vegan. Also very filling and satisfying.
Priya Lakshminarayan says
Thank you so much for the feedback. So glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Jooooolia says
This tasted sooo good. Way beyond my expectations. Next time, I’m going to add Paneer in with the Matar.
Priya says
That makes me so happy!! Thank you so much. 🙂 I also have a Matar Paneer recipe on the blog.
Suzy says
We love curry! All of the flavors in this is so good! Can't wait to make it again!
Sophie says
Wow, am in love with your vibrant green curry. It looks so so delicious. Thanks a lot.
Veena Azmanov says
Best dish for my vegetarian friends. Looks creamy and delicious.
Whitney Zamiar says
Beautiful presentation! Can't wait to try this curry.
Kate says
Oh I love curry!! This sounda great, thanks for the recipe!!