Lobia (black-eyed peas) curry
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Most pulses require thinking about the night before, which is the main reason people fall back on the same two dals. Lobia does not. An hour of soaking is plenty and it will cook without any at all if you have the patience.
It is also gentler on the stomach than rajma or chole, which matters if pulses have given you trouble.
Ingredients
- 1 cup lobia (black-eyed peas)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- Chopped coriander
Method
- 1
Rinse the lobia and soak for an hour if you have time. Pressure cook with salt and turmeric and three cups of water for four or five whistles, until soft but not collapsing.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, then the onion, and cook until properly golden. Rushing this step is why curries taste flat.
- 3
Add the ginger garlic paste, cook a minute, then the tomatoes, coriander powder and salt. Cook until the oil separates at the edges.
- 4
Add the cooked lobia with its water, mash a few against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy, and simmer ten minutes.
- 5
Stir in the garam masala, finish with coriander, and serve with rice or one roti.
Good to know
- Mashing a few peas against the pan thickens the gravy without cream or flour.
- It is genuinely better the next day, so make enough for two meals.
- A bowl of curd alongside adds protein and cools the dish.
- Tinned black-eyed peas work perfectly well; rinse them and skip straight to the gravy.