Black Eyed Peas Curry

For this week’s cooking from cookbook challenge, I have another legumes curry from Anjum Anand’s New Indian cookbook. In spring and summers whenever I can get hold of some fresh black eyed peas, I add them to vegetable fries and gravies but never used dry or canned black eyed peas in curries. I use dry black eyed peas for vada and also for gudalu or sundal (sautéed black eyed peas). A curry with just these peas is new to me. Lately, these peas have become one of my favorite legumes and have been adding it a lot to my salads and also sauteing it just like fresh garbanzo beans or Indian beans. For a change I made a curry.

These days I am making phulkas for dinner and we prefer gravies or wet curries with it. I wanted to cook something other than a shorva and remembered seeing this black eyed peas curry in the cookbook. I made it last month and we loved the curry. Now this is going to be a regular curry with pulkhas, specially on meatless days. I was going to post it last month but held back as I was not happy with the pictures.

I made this curry again yesterday for the pictures. I am not totally happy with these pictures either. I painted some wooden boards and this yellow board is one of them. Painting the boards is easy but picking the right color for the boards was so confusing and some of the colors I painted did not quite work. I ended up repainting few boards. This yellow board is one of the boards I really liked but I am disappointed how it looks behind the camera. I still think this board might make a good background if I use different props. Have to see how my other boards will make good backgrounds for the food pictures.

Source: Anjum Anand’s New Indian
Cooking Time: 25 - 30 minutes
Serves: 3 – 4

Ingredients:

• 3 – 4 tbsp. Oil (I used 3 tbsp.)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 – 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds (I used 1 tsp.)
• 1 small Onion chopped or ½ cup chopped Onion
• 2 Green Chilies whole slit half way or can slit it into pieces
• ½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
• 1 tbsp. Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp. Garam Masala
• ¾ - 1 tsp. Chili Powder (adjust to taste)
• 1 - 1 ½ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
• 3 large Tomatoes, pureed or 2 ½ cups chopped Tomatoes, pureed or 1 ½ - 1 ¾ cups pureed Tomatoes (I used vine ripe tomatoes)
• 2 cups canned Black Eyed Peas (I used frozen black eyed peas)
• Cilantro to garnish

Preparation:

• Chop the vegetables and puree the tomatoes.
• Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaves and fry for few seconds until leaves change color.
• Add cumin and let the seeds brown.
• Add chopped onions and cook until onions are translucent and light yellowish brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and sauté for a minute or two until raw smell is gone.
• Add turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, chili powder, salt and fry for few seconds.
• Add tomato puree and mix well. Bring it to a boil, cover and cook for another 5 minutes on medium – medium high flame.
• Add black eyed peas, stir, cover and cook for another 5 – 8 minutes until black eyed peas are almost cooked.
• Add water and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes until the curry is done.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or roti (Indian bread).

Note:

• Curry thickens ones it cools. By the time I took the pictures, the gravy became thick. I added about 1 cup of water, and ¼ tsp. garam masala and cooked the curry for another 5 - 10 minutes. The garam masala I added later is not listed in the ingredient list.
• I pureed tomatoes the first time I made the curry as the recipe called for it. Yesterday when I made it again, I used finely chopped tomatoes. Cook the chopped tomatoes until soft, mushy and then add the peas.
• I used frozen black eyed peas and used them as it is the first time I made the curry. I felt precooking the peas for 5-8 minutes until tender, and then adding it to the curry could speed up the preparation. Anyway it takes about 8 - 10 minutes for the masala to cook and meantime blackeyed peas can also be cooked in a separate pot.
• When I made the curry yesterday, I cooked the black eyed peas separately for about 10 minutes until the peas were tender. I added to the curry once the tomatoes were soft and mushy. It took about 10 minutes for the tomatoes to cook. Add cooked black eyed peas and cooked for another 2-4 minutes on medium flame, before adding water.

Events: This is my entry for this week's Cooking from Cookbook Challenge and Mir's My Legume Love Affair # 77, an event started by Susan and is currently being organized by Lisa.