If you were one of the countless children who used to pick the peas out of your peas and carrots subzi, it's time to give this vegetable another try. Peas are a terrific source of fibre and potassium, which keeps all of our body cells functioning properly. Potassium is known to give protection against high blood pressure. Fibre can reduce cholesterol and prevent colon cancer. Green peas are packed with the kinds of vitamins and nutrients that keep us healthy. A half cup serving of fresh, cooked green pea contains more than 20 per cent of our daily requirement of Vitamin C and 10 per cent of a day's supply of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene, as you know, is the plant form of Vitamin A and may protect against various forms of cancer and heart disease.The green pea is a highly versatile vegetable and is very popular with vegetarians. In hotels, until very recently, vegetarian specialties were not too many. In North Indian cuisine, one dish that became very popular amongst vegetarians, was matar paneer. A paneer dish has always been considered as the piece de resistance of a North Indian vegetarian meal. It is only green peas that could intrude or match the culinary competence of paneer. In a dish like matar paneer, green peas are added to complement the taste and texture of paneer, whereas in some dishes like, aloo matar it is primarily added to enhance what would otherwise be a rather mundane potato dish.Soup made with fresh green peas has been a personal favourite, so much so that the first ever episode of my cooking show had green peas soup with a hint of mint. Unfortunately, that episode was never telecast for reasons best known to our crew. All of us were learning the ropes of the fine art of television cooking. To date, I must have demonstrated more than 30 green peas' recipes. While I have not shared the green peas soup recipe again on television, I guess we all have conceded to superstition. However, I have shown green peas' recipes from different parts of India and the one I like is made with green peas skin. This is the recipe that my mother used to cook and any one who would come to our house would be asked to guess what it was.I have also been greatly inspired by my brother's cooking. As a child, he had a passion for cooking and was always trying out new combinations and dishes. He never pursued cooking as his career and is a chartered accountant and a successful financial consultant today. I guess the source of inspiration has always been our parents. My father, apart from being a banker, has great panache for food and still can cook dishes that can be called trend setters. This week I am sharing a recipe that my brother had cooked over 15 years ago. I have given this dish to quite a few dignitaries and I must say, most of them have appreciated this adventurous green pea's kheer. You may notice that when this dish is offered to people, there may be a slight hesitation, as not many palates have associated peas with a sweet dish. In case you want to overcome that, serve this dish as pista kheer and when everyone has relished the taste of pista, reveal the secret ingredient: green peas.Recipe and text copyright with Sanjeev Kapoor - 1997
