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Home » Main course

Indian black eyed peas curry (Lobia masala)

Published: Feb 8, 2023 by Vandana Chauhan. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Indian black-eyed peas curry, also known as lobia curry or lobia masala is a delicious protein-rich vegan and gluten-free curry that can be enjoyed with rice as well any Indian flat bread like roti or paratha.

lobia curry, rice, and salad served in a black bowl.

Indian cuisine has a lot of bean & lentil recipes and we Indians eat them almost every day. For a country with the highest number of vegetarians in the world, beans and lentils are a major source of protein.

They are a part of the staple diet of India so, a meal in India is incomplete without a bean or lentil dish.

Today I am sharing the recipe for a bean curry called lobia masala made with black-eyed peas.

My husband and I come from two different Himalayan states of India where black-eyed peas are consumed a lot. So we both grew up eating this dish quite frequently and love it.

The process of making Lobia curry is quite similar to that of making other Indian bean curries like Rajma, chole, or kale chane. If you learn how to make one, you can easily make the other recipes too.

Jump to:
  • What is lobia?
  • What's needed to make Indian-style black-eyed peas curry?
  • Ingredient notes
  • How to make (Step-by-step instructions)?
  • What to serve with lobia curry?
  • Storing, freezing, and reheating tips
  • Recipe tips and tricks
  • Frequently asked questions
  • More easy black-eyed pea recipes
  • Other vegan curry recipes
  • Recipe

What is lobia?

Lobia is the Hindi word for black-eyed beans. It’s also called Rongi in Punjab and Himachal, Chawli in Maharashtra, and has several other different names in different Indian states.

What's needed to make Indian-style black-eyed peas curry?

Ingredients for black eyed peas curry labelled.

Ingredient notes

  • Black-eyed peas: For Indian recipes, dried beans are cooked from scratch and then used in the recipes. It tastes better and is good for health too. However, if you are looking for a quicker option, canned beans can be used too.
  • Whole spices: I have used bay leaf, black cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds, black peppers. You make skip and add 1-2 whole spices depending on what's available to you.
  • Coriander powder: It's the ground form of dried coriander seeds and is used as a spice in a lot of Indian recipes.
  • Kasoori methi: Dried fenugreek leaves are called kasoori methi. It's also used as a spice in Indian recipes and gives a very nice smoky flavor to the dish.
  • Garam masala: It's a very flavorful blend of different Indian spices. Use it in moderation as it has a very strong flavor.
  • Red chili powder: Use Kashmiri red chili powder. It gives the curry a bright red color to the dish and is not very hot too.

How to make (Step-by-step instructions)?

Collage of images of steps 1 to 6 of lobia masala recipe.

Step 1: Wash black-eyed beans and soak them in water for at least 7 hours or overnight.

Step 2: Put the soaked beans, water, and salt in a pressure cooker and cook for 4-5 whistles on a medium flame.

Step 3: Put roughly chopped onion, garlic, and ginger in a grinding jar and make a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl.

Step 4: Make another paste of tomatoes and green chilies. Keep it aside too.

Step 5: Heat oil in a cooking pot and add whole spices to it. Saute the spices for a few seconds or until they turn fragrant.

Step 6: Add onion paste. Cook until the paste turns golden brown. If the paste starts sticking to the pot add a few tablespoons of water and cook further.

Collage of images of steps 7 to 12 of lobia masala curry.

Step 7: Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and crushed kasoori methi.

Step 8: Also, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and saute for a few seconds.

Step 9: Add tomato paste and salt.

Step 10: Cook until the tomatoes are no longer raw and change the color to a brighter red.

Step 11: Add cooked beans along with the water in which the beans were cooked. If required, add additional water to get the desired consistency. Mix everything. Cook covered for 6-7 minutes.

Step 12: Add garam masala and chopped cilantro. Mix.

Your delicious, comforting Indian black-eyed peas curry is ready to be served!

Indian black eyed peas curry in a black bowl.

What to serve with lobia curry?

Serve this curry hot with rice or any Indian flatbread of choice like roti or paratha.

You can also enjoy a bowl of lobia masala as a bean soup.

Storing, freezing, and reheating tips

To store, allow the curry to reach room temperature and then transfer to an airtight container. It will be fine in the fridge for 2-3 days.

It freezes well too. To freeze just transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for 3-4 months.

To reheat the frozen curry, first, thaw it then transfer to a cooking pot. Cover the pot and reheat until the curry starts boiling. If required, add some boiling hot water to get the desired consistency.

You can also defreeze the curry in the microwave and then reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes. Keep stirring in between until evenly heated.

Recipe tips and tricks

  • Lobia can be replaced with any other type of bean in this recipe.
  • Black-eyed peas take lesser time to get cooked in comparison to other beans like kidney beans and chickpeas so, cook them carefully otherwise they will easily turn mushy.
  • Though not a traditional way of making Indian-style beans curry you may use canned beans in this recipe, if you want. 
  • You can also cook beans in a regular cooking pot but then it will take at least an hour to get the soaked beans cooked.
  • Indians don't mind whole spices in their curries and just move them aside while eating. If, you don't want to do that, remove the whole spices like bay leaf and black cardamom before serving the curry. You can also tie the whole spices in a small piece of clean muslin cloth and then add them to the oil. Doing this will make removing the spices easier.

Frequently asked questions

Are black-eyed peas and black-eyed beans the same?

Yes, they both are the same.

Are black-eyed beans and black beans the same?

No, they are different.

How to make this curry without a pressure cooker?

Instead of a regular pressure cooker, you can use an instant pot (electric pressure cooker) to make this curry. It can also be cooked in a heavy-bottomed regular pot but then the beans will take at least an hour to get cooked.

Can lobia curry be made without soaking the beans?

You need to soak the dried beans before cooking at least for 7-8 hours. Unsoaked beans will get cooked but will take hours to get cooked and will also be hard to digest.

Can I add coconut milk to this curry?

I have made this lobia curry in North Indian style where coconut milk is not used in curries.
However, in Eastern and Southern states, coconut milk is added. So, if you want to make it South or East Indian style, you can add coconut milk.

More easy black-eyed pea recipes

Looking for more ideas to cook black-eyed peas? Don't miss trying the links below:

  1. Black-eyed peas and spinach curry
  2. Black-eyed peas salad
  3. Greek black eyed peas salad
  4. Mixed beans curry

Other vegan curry recipes

If you want to try more vegan curry recipes from India then the following links are worth checking:

  1. Indian vegetable curry
  2. Easy potato curry
  3. Soya chunks curry
  4. Brown lentil curry
Indian black eyed beans curry, rice, and salad in a bowl.

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Recipe

Black eyed peas curry, rice, onion slices, and fresh cilantro served in a black bowl.

Indian black eyed peas curry (Lobia masala)

Indian black eyed peas curry, also known as lobia curry or lobia masala is a delicious protein-rich vegan and gluten-free curry that can be enjoyed with rice as well any Indian flat bread like roti or paratha.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Bean soaking time: 7 hours
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 121kcal
Author: Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • 1 Pressure cooker
  • 1 Cooking pot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried black-eyed beans
  • 1 large red onion
  • 2 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 2-3 green chillies
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 3-4 black peppercorns
  • 1-2 black cardamom
  • ½ tablespoon coriander powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • ½ tablespoon kasoori methi
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil of choice
  • A handful of chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Wash and soak black-eyed beans in water for 7-8 hours or overnight.
  • Put the soaked beans and around 4 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Cook till 4-5 whistles or until the beans are cooked.
  • Peel onion, garlic, and ginger. Roughly chop and put in a grinding jar. Make a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.
  • In the same grinding jar, put roughly chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Make a smooth paste. Keep it aside too.
  • Heat oil in a cooking pot. Add all the whole spices and saute them for a few seconds or until they become fragrant.
  • Add onion paste and cook until it becomes golden brown. If the paste starts sticking to the pot before that, add a few tablespoons of water and continue cooking.
  • Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and crushed kasoori methi. Also, add around 1- 2 tablespoons of water so that the powdered spices don't get burned. Cook for about a minute.
  • Add tomato paste and salt. Mix and cook on a medium flame for 7-8 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely cooked.
  • Next, add cooked black-eyed beans and the water in which it was cooked. If required, add extra water too. Mix and cook covered for another 6-7 minutes.
  • Finally, add garam masala and chopped cilantro. Mix and serve hot.

Video

Notes

  1. You may make a similar recipe using other types of beans too.
  2. Black-eyed peas take lesser time to get cooked in comparison to other beans like kidney beans and chickpeas so, cook them carefully otherwise they will easily turn mushy.
  3. Though not a traditional way of making Indian-style beans curry you may use canned beans in this recipe if you want. 
  4. If you don't have a regular pressure cooker, use an instant pot (electric pressure cooker) or a regular cooking pot to cook black-eyed peas. If using a regular pot, cook covered for a longer period i.e. around an hour.
  5. Indians don't mind whole spices in their curries and simply move them aside while eating if, you don't want to do that remove the bay leaves and black cardamom before serving the curry.
  6. More recipe tips and tricks are shared within the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 670IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg
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Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vandana Chauhan and I am on a mission to explore vegan/ vegetarian recipes from around the world. I am delighted to welcome you to join me on this exciting journey.

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