Black-Eyed Peas Curry

Black-eyed pea, also called black-eyed bean is rich in fiber like most beans. They taste good when combined with vegetables as a gravy or even tossed up as a salad. In some cultures, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is thought to bring good luck and prosperity.

The gravy can be used as a base and replaced with red kidney beans or garbanzo beans (chickpea). Here's a quick and simple recipe....

Ingredients:

2 onions, diced
5 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt, to taste
Tamarind, to taste (I used 1 tsp of tamarind paste)
Black-eyed peas, boiled (you can used canned too)
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

For seasoning:

1 tbsp oil
4-5 cloves
4-5 cinnamon sticks (small pieces)

Method:

Boil the black-eyed peas in a cooker with water and salt for 2-3 whistles (if your's has one) or cook it until 3/4th done...just make sure you don't overcook it, so adjust accordingly. Drain the water from the peas.

In a pan, heat oil and and add onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for few minutes until they turn slightly brown. Now, grind the above ingredients along with tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and tamarind. Make a fine paste and set aside.

In a pan, heat oil, add cloves, cinnamon and the ground paste. Keep it on low flame and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes until the raw smell fades away.

To the gravy, add the cooked black-eyed peas and boil for 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Makes 5-6 servings.