Indian black eyed peas curry (Lobia masala)

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.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Bean soaking time 7

Total Time 40

Servings 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

You may make a similar recipe using other types of beans too.
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.
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.
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.
More recipe tips and tricks are shared within the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition