In the spotlight today is the quintessential black-eyed pea. A diminutive bean of medium size, this bean packs a punch of nutrients and flavor. This bean is native to India but has made its way into cuisines around the world over the centuries. It is a very significant component of Soul food, eaten in the American south cooked along with a ham hock or bacon and served with hot sauce. Here, it is an auspicious tradition to eat black-eyed peas on the New year and is thought to bring good luck and prosperity. In Jamaica, it’s part of their staple dish “Rice & Peas”. In Vietnam, black-eyed peas are used in a desert with sticky rice and coconut milk.

In India, it’s known as Lobia or Chawli and is cooked like a Daal (see Daal Tadka). Its flavor is unmistakable and delicious. Combined with rice, chapatti, naans, rotis or even plain bread, this is a sumptuous meal that is hearty and satisfies.

A basic curry of Black-eyed peas is simple to make. The efforts are however rewarded with a highly tasty and nutritious meal that keeps very well in the fridge and tastes even better the next day. For the vegetarian and the vegan, this dish provides you with nutrients, fiber and hearty flavor. Here is a simple recipe for good old home cooked Black-eyed peas curry.

Black-eyed peas curry (Chawli curry – Maharastra style)

2 cups black eyed peas

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

5 - 6 medium curry leaves

3 - 4 medium red chilies

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped

1 medium lime, juiced

¼ cup cilantro, for garnish

2 tablespoons oil or ghee

In a saucepan put in the black eyed peas and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Turn the flame off and allow the beans to come to room temperature.

Drain and put the beans back into the saucepan. This gets rid of all the impurities in the beans.
Cover with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook till beans are tender. Approximately 30 – 45 minutes.

Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds and crackle. Add curry leaves and whole red chilies. Fry well for a minute.

Add the onions and stir well to mix all the flavors together. Cover and cook till onions turn light brown. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water when the onions stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the ginger paste and the garlic paste. Stir well and fry for a few minutes. Add a splash of water if the pastes stick to the bottom of the pan (this process in Hindi is referred to as bhunnao – an important aspect of curry making).

Next, add the turmeric powder, the chili powder and coriander powder. Mix well to form a paste. Add a splash of water to prevent the powders from getting burnt. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and stir constantly till the tomatoes turns into a paste. Combine the black-eyed peas with the water and mix well. Simmer the gravy and thicken.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime or as desired for a fresh citrus finish to the dish. Season and serve hot with a garnish of chopped cilantro leaves along with naans, rotis or plain steamed basmati rice.

Happy eating!