Recipe: Lightly Spiced Cucumber, Peas and Mint

{excuse the crappy iphone pic, why yes that is my reflection in the spoon!}

One thing I never anticipated about becoming a parent was ALL THE COOKING. And not just the cooking, the time it takes to think of, recipe search, shop for all the parts of all the meals you have to make. That after a while, it becomes a drag. It becomes another thing on an ever expanding list of shit to get done. Three meals a day, seven days a week will do that to you. Add in a three year old who thinks saying 'YUCK!' before even seeing what's for dinner is fun, and it doesn't make for the most rewarding of tasks 50% of the time.

I say all this as someone who adores food. Adores gathering up my (probably too large collection) of recipe books and reading them like novels, figuring out what is good and what is healthy and what we all might enjoy eating. I mean, have you seen how much delicious looking stuff I pin? I clearly love food.

Usually around the time a new season shows some promise of arriving (oh HELLO SPRING, IS THAT YOU???) I start to feel interested in feeding us all again. I can stop making the same meals that I have been for the past few months, the comfort in the form of heavy stews and winter vegetables can exit, and I can plan for fresher, lighter fare.

So here is the first recipe for a highly anitciaped changing of the seasons. It was delicious, easy and different for us, and enjoyed by three people.Tthis last one was a biggy - feeding a three year old aint no cake walk. Although it probably would be if I succomed to demands and only fed him cake, I'm sure.


Lightly Spiced Cucumber, Peas and Mint

Slightly adapted from Anjum's New Indian by Anjum Anand

Serves 3 -4 as a side dish/light lunch

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp ground coriander

salt to taste

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin half moons

120g frozen peas

4 rounded tbsp natural yogurt

1 tbsp fresh shredded mint leaves

Heat the oil in a non stick pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds.

Once they start to pop, add the remaining spices and salt and follow immediately with the cucumber. Cook over a moderate heat until the cucumber becomes slightly soft and translucent, around 4 -5 mins.

Add the peas and cook for another 3-4 mins, just to heat through.

Stir in the yogurt and mint, cook for 2 mins and serve.

Notes: I served this with tortillas and smoked salmon, but it was still a little on the light side - next time I'll double the recipe and then keep any leftovers for the next day. Anjum notes that this is a great dish either as an accompaniment to a full Indian meal, or even a Western style grill or roast. I think it would be great with chicken.

I might share some more of what we eat, if only so I can remember what I've cooked...