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This 30-minute, one-pan, Indian black eyed peas curry (aka lobia curry) is an effortless dish that’s one of our favorite easy dinners. A simple masala base, black-eyed peas, a touch of lemon juice and bright green fresh coriander leaves. Serve this quick and easy curry on busy days, with chapati or naan to soak up this delicious curry.
This Indian black-eye peas curry is…
- naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- a great way to get in plant-based protein.
- a delicious and simple recipe, that can be included in your meal prep for the week.
- comfort food at its best.
Ingredients authentic black eyed peas curry
- Black eye peas: If desired, you can cook black-eyed peas from scratch by cooking the dry beans in a pressure cooker. But I want to make Indian cooking easy and quick for you all, so I used tinned black-eyed peas.
- Whole spices: Cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
- Garlic & ginger: I like to use fresh garlic and fresh ginger. And by grating both, you’re creating your own ginger-garlic paste, with the perfect ratio for this curry.
- Spice Powders: Red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar. and coriander-cumin powder. If you don’t have a mix of both, just use half coriander powder and half cumin powder. And if you’re not a fan of spicy food, you can use cayenne pepper powder. I used Kashmiri chilli powder this time as I wanted the curry to be more vibrant without it being too spicy! You’ll be able to find all these spices at Indian grocery stores.
- Tomatoes: For this recipe, you’ll need tinned chopped tomatoes, and a little tomato puree (aka tomato paste).
- Lemon: Just a little squeeze of lemon or lime juice to balance everything out!
- Herbs: Curry leaves and coriander leaves. I used fresh both, but you can use dried curry leaves and frozen coriander leaves. You could also use bay leaves instead of curry leaves if you wish!
- Oil: I use sunflower oil, but you could use coconut oil, avocado oil or even vegetable ghee.
- Water: Just a few cups of water to create the perfect thickness for this Indian curry, and a few tablespoons of water if the masala starts sticking to the pan. Some black eye peas curry recipes call for coconut milk, but there are two reasons why I don’t. My grandma never makes this curry with coconut milk, so it wouldn’t be authentic to my family recipe and because I want all the spices to shine. Oh, and using coconut milk with making the color of this curry a bit paler, which is not what we want!
How to make this simple 30-minute black eyed peas curry
Heat pan over medium heat, and add in the mustard seeds. Give them a few seconds, and once they start to pop, add in the cumin seeds, and cook until the cumin seeds are fragrant. Next, start making the onion-tomato gravy by adding the onions and curry leaves. Turn the heat up to high and while constantly stirring, cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are lightly golden. Turn the heat back down to medium, add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for a few seconds or until fragrant. Make sure you keep stirring to prevent the grated ginger and garlic from sticking to the pan! And, if at any point anything starts sticking to the pan, add a little water to deglaze the pan.
Add all the dry spices, and give everything a quick mix together. Add both the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes. Mix together until well combined, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes over low-medium heat.
Add in the drained and rinsed tins of black-eyed peas beans, and mix until all the beans are covered with the masala. Cover pan with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the water, and bring the temperature up to medium-high heat, and once the water starts to boil, bring it back down to medium heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes more. Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add in the fresh coriander and sugar. Give it a quick mix together and just like that – you’re got an authentic Indian curry.
What to serve with this curry
- Grain: Jeera rice, plain basmati rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice or even some quinoa!
- Indian flatbread: Chapati, naan, paratha.
- Veggies: Green chilies and sliced onions.
- Vegan yoghurt: Use your favourite brand of plain vegan yoghurt!
After you try this Indian black eyed peas curry a try, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!
How to store black eyed peas curry
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container or in a bowl with a lid for 2-3 days. And to reheat, just pop in the microwave or heat over the stovetop until piping hot.
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Ingredients
- 1–2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion (diced)
- 6–7 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
- 4–5 garlic cloves (grated)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tbsp coriander-cumin powder (or half of each)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tbsp tomato puree or paste
- 1 cup chopped tinned tomatoes
- 2 x 400g tinned black eyed peas beans (drained and rinsed)
- 3/4 – 1 cup water (or more depending how much gravy you want)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2–3 tbsp chopped coriander (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Masala Onion-tomato masala: Heat pan over medium heat, add in the mutard seeds, and once they start to pop add in the cumin seeds. Cook until fragrant. Add in the onions and curry leaves. Turn the heat up to high, and while constantly stirring, cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Turn the heat back down to medium-low, add in the grated ginger and garlic, and cook for a few seconds. Add in all the dry spices, and mix together. Add both the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, mix until combined, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Mixing often to prevent burning.
- Curry Cooking the beans: Add in the beans, and gently mix together until beans are covered with the masala. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, and then back down to a simmer. Cover pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, chopped coriander and sugar. Give it a quick mix. And just like that, you've got an authentic Indian curry. Enjoy!
