Indian Black Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are popularly eaten on new year's Day as it is considered that they bring good luck. This Indian black-eyed peas curry also known as lobia masala is a delicious vegan and gluten-free dish made from unsoaked peas in the Instant Pot.

It is quick and easy to make this simple Indian-style curry and serve it with Indian bread or rice. You can also do meal planning and make it ahead of time and freeze it or store it in the fridge for later use.

Ingredients

To make this vegan Indian-style black-eyed peas curry, apart from dry black-eyed peas, you will need a few basic pantry ingredients and Indian spices.

A puree of tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, and serrano pepper is made in a blender. This recipe uses 1 cup of dry black-eyed peas pressure cooked in the Instant Pot with onion tomato puree and spices like turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, and coriander powder.

Some garam masala powder, bay leaf, and whole red chili add flavor. Spiciness can be adjusted by adapting the quantities of chili powder, serrano pepper, and garam masala to taste.

Finally, a few drops of lime juice are added to enhance the taste and chopped cilantro is used for garnishing.

Instructions

You can cook black-eyed peas dry in the Instant Pot. They turn out perfectly fine in just 20 minutes. Even if you soak them, it will only reduce the pressure cooking time by a few minutes. So there is no need to soak the black-eyed peas.

For cooking, unsoaked black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot the peas-to-water ratio is 1:3 and they turn out perfect.

It is very easy to make unsoaked black-eyed peas in an Instant Pot. Before you start cooking, blend the tomatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, and serrano pepper into a smooth paste in a blender like Vitamix.

Turn the Instant Pot on the "Saute" mode in the normal setting. Once the Instant Pot is hot, add oil. After the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds followed by a bay leaf, and red whole chili.

Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and then add the blended tomato onion paste, powdered spices, and salt. Continue to saute for another 4-5 minutes or until all the moisture evaporates from the mixture.

Add water and black-eyed peas and deglaze the bottom of the pot liner with the help of a spatula. Close and lock the lid with the pressure knob in the sealing position.

Pressure cook the black-eyed peas curry on high-pressure mode for 20 minutes followed by natural pressure release. If you are in a hurry you can do natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the pressure release valve to the venting position until the silver pin drops.

After opening the lid, stir in some garam masala powder as per taste. You can add some chopped cilantro and lime juice at this point or while serving.

Serving suggestions

Instant Pot black-eyed peas curry is best served hot with Indian bread like roti, puri, or paratha. It also goes well with basmati rice or pulao. While serving, garnish it with some chopped cilantro and lime juice.

On special occasions, it is served as a part of a thali or Indian platter with other curries like palak paneer, matar paneer, or navratan korma and dal.

Storage

Any leftover black eyed peas curry can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an air-tight container. When you are ready to eat, you can reheat the beans in the microwave, instant pot, or on the stovetop.

Black eyed peas curry, just like other lentils and beans, can be frozen for upto 3 months in freezer-safe airtight containers or ziplock bags. When you are ready to eat, you can simply defrost the curry in the microwave and reheat it.

If you are meal planning, you can also just pressure cook the black eyed peas and freeze them. You can then add them to the gravy to make the curry. Frozen peas can also be used in making a salad.