Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry (Pattani Masala Curry)

Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry is a nutritious dish made with dried green peas (pattani), base masala, and spices in just 30 minutes. Also known as Pattani Masala Curry, it is simple, homely, and full of flavor. 

The perfectly spiced masala, with a hint of sweetness from the peas, has the power to elevate any meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

With just basic ingredients, you can prepare it easily at home. Scroll down for the step-by-step recipe, helpful tips, ingredient swaps, storage instructions, and serving suggestions.

What is Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry?

Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry is a vegetarian curry made with cooked green peas and a roasted masala. Roasted onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chillies, and spices give it a rich, unique flavor.

The curry has a rich, earthy reddish-brown color from roasted masala and spice powders like coriander, chilli, turmeric, and garam masala. 

The flavor is perfectly balanced, as the natural sweetness of peas cuts through the heat of the spices.The aroma of roasted masala in coconut oil hits first, followed by the earthy smell of peas.

In Tamil Nadu, the dish is called Pattani Masala and is often prepared with tamarind for a tangy flavor. In North India, a close version is Matar Masala.

For another protein-rich Kerala vegetarian curry, try the Green Peas Masala Curry Recipe.

Why You'll Love This Recipe?

You’ll love this recipe because it is easy to cook with simple ingredients available in every kitchen. The thick masala gravy is full of flavor and pairs beautifully with puttu, appam, or Kerala porotta. 

We usually say puttu goes with kadala curry and appam with stew (like Chicken Stew, Mutton Stew), but this curry is so tasty it pushes those classics aside. It makes a light, wholesome meal with balanced spices and the nutrition of protein-rich peas.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Green Peas – Dried peas (pattani), soaked overnight for best results.
   
2. Spices – Coriander, chilli, turmeric, garam masala, cloves, aniseed, and salt.
   
3. Other Ingredients – Onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, coconut oil, curry leaves, and fresh coriander.

You’ll find exact quantities and step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.

Variations to Try

1. Coconut Version – Add thick fresh coconut milk for an authentic Kerala flavor. Powdered coconut milk or canned versions also work, but fresh gives the best taste.
   
2. Vegetable Mix – Add potato, carrot, cauliflower, or paneer for extra nutrition, especially for kids. For a unique Kerala vegetarian mix curry, try our Chakkakuru Manga Curry.
   
3. Vella Kadala Curry – Replace green peas with white chickpeas (vella kadala) for a lighter curry. Adjust spices as chickpeas absorb flavors differently.
   
4. Milder Yellow Curry – Skip chilli powder for a yellow curry. Add green chilli or pepper powder if you prefer heat.
   
5. Thenga Oothukki Style – Blend coconut with cumin and a little coriander instead of using coconut milk for a different flavor profile.

How to Make Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry (Step-by-Step Guide)

STEP 1: Soak green peas in water overnight. Enough water to submerge it and a little more.

STEP 2: Pressure cook the green peas for one whistle and bring the heat down right after. Do not open the lid. Allow it to cook with the residual heat.

STEP 3: While that’s pressure cooking, heat coconut oil and add aniseeds and cloves and roast slightly. To it, add ginger, garlic & onion and salt and sweat it out. Close the lid when doing.

STEP 4: Reduce the heat a bit and add coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala, and roast. Once it browns, add the sliced tomato. Close the lid and allow it to cook, occasionally stirring it.

STEP 5: Now add the cooked green peas to with enough residual water to form the gravy.

STEP 6: Bring that to a boil, add more salt as required, and you are done. It will take up to 4-5 whistles.

For a tangy Kerala vegetarian alternative, try our Ripe Mango Curry, a sweet and sour dish made with ripe mangoes.

Tips And Tricks

1. Use real dried peas, not frozen ones.
   
2. Soak dried green peas overnight for best results.
   
3. Pressure cook until soft but not mushy.
   
4. Mash a small portion of cooked peas into the curry if you want a thicker gravy.
   
5. Add fresh coriander leaves at the end for extra flavor.
   
6. Finish with a pinch of fennel powder for a restaurant-style touch.

Serving Suggestions

Pattani masala curry goes well with puttu (steamed rice cake), Soft Appam (lace pancake), idiyappam (string hoppers), pathiri (rice flatbread), dosa, or even bread for breakfast. 

At lunch, serve it with Kerala rice, matta rice, basmati rice, or ghee rice. For dinner, it pairs with chapathi, naan, porotta (layered flatbread), or koobhoos (Arabic flatbread).

Storage Instructions

Store Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. The flavors improve the next day. 

Reheat gently with a splash of water on the stove top or in the microwave. Do not freeze, as peas lose texture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

More Kerala Vegetarian Curries Recipes to Try

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have tried this! Please leave a ⭐️ rating and a comment below. Don’t forget to share your photos on Instagram and tag @a_little_bit_of_spice.

Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry(Pattani Masala Curry)

Jane Jojo

Kerala Style Green Peas Masala Curry is a quick vegetarian dish made with soaked peas, roasted onion-tomato masala, and spices. Cooked in coconut oil, it is flavorful, light, and pairs well with puttu, appam, chapathi, porotta, or rice.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine kerala

Servings 2 serving

Calories 50 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup Green peas
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic
• ▢ 1 tomato
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ tablespoon garam masala
• ▢ as required salt
• ▢ pinch Aniseed a
• ▢ 3 clove

Instructions

 

• Soak green peas in water overnight. Enough water to submerge it and a little more.
• Pressure-cook the green peas for one whistle and bring the heat down right after. Do not open the lid. Allow it to cook with the residual heat.
• While that’s pressure-cooking heat coconut oil and add aniseeds and cloves and roast slightly. To it add ginger, garlic & onion and salt and sweat it out. Close the lid when doing.
• Reduce the heat a bit and add coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala, and roast. Once it browns, add the sliced tomato. Close the lid and allow it to cook, occasionally stirring it.
• Now add the cooked green peas to, with enough residual water to form the gravy.
• Bring that to a boil, add more salt as required, and you are done.

Notes

• Use real dried peas, not frozen ones.
  

• Soak dried green peas overnight for best results.
  

• Pressure cook until soft but not mushy.
  

• Mash a small portion of cooked peas into the curry if you want a thicker gravy.
  

• Add fresh coriander leaves at the end for extra flavor.
  

• Finish with a pinch of fennel powder for a restaurant-style touch.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 192gCalories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 213mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 548IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

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