Black-eyed pea curry

One lazy sunday afternoon, I was wondering what to cook up for lunch. My fridge was almost empty and that's when I discovered a packet of black-eye pea sitting in the shelf. Black-eye pea or Lobia is common to California and it is low in fat and rich in protein and fiber. Although in South India we do not make this often, Lobia curry is famous in Punjab and it can be served with hot rotis.

Canned black-eyed peas are easier to cook but I prefer to use the packet version. The packet version peas have to be soaked overnight preferably.

Once the peas are soaked and ready to be cooked, dice a medium sized onion, some chilies, garlic, and tomatoes. 

In a pressure cooker, heat up oil and add cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon. 

Once the aromas of the spices have come out, add cumin seeds (jeera). 

Next, add in the chopped garlic. 

Add in the chopped onions and mix. 

After the onions are sauteed till they are translucent, add green chillies, and tomatoes. Add in turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. 

Once the spices have lost their raw smell, add in the soaked black-eyed peas. Add in 2-3 cups of water. 

Mix everything well. Add in salt. Now put the lid on and pressure cook this for around 4 whistles. Tada, yummy black-eyed peas curry is now ready to be savored hot with rotis or rice. 

If you want to add cream/milk to thicken the consistency, you can do so at the end. This is optional. You can also garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.