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Black-Eyed Peas with Spices and Herbs

The list of blogs in my google reader grows longer each week. The large number of delightful recipes that I scroll through each day tempts me away from my extensive cookbook selection. One such recipe that inspired a simple but very flavourful and spicy midweek meal was Ann's Black Eyes in a Spicy Curry. I only discovered Ann's blog recently, but already I have bookmarked some of her beautiful creations to try. Thanks to Ann for the inspiration.

Serve this spicy dish with rice or any Indian flatbread.
Black-Eyed Peas with Spices and Herbs

1 cup of black-eyed peas
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 - 3 hot green or red chilies
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 teaspoons of garam masala
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of dried red chili flakes
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped

roughly 1 1/2 inch piece of tamarind

small handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (I used five good sized ones)
1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
small handful of dried curry leaves
sea salt to taste


Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover. Drain, transfer to a pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer until the beans are just tender (roughly 20 - 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, put the tamarind chunk in a small bowl and cover with 1/2 cup of hot water. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

Heat a few teaspoons of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, cumin seeds and hot peppers to the pan and stir and fry for a few minutes. Now add the garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, paprika and chili flakes to the pan and stir and fry for another minute. Add the tomato and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes or so. Add this mixture to the just tender beans, along with the mint, fenugreek leaves, parsley, curry leaves and strained tamarind water (discard the pulp). Cook until the beans are buttery soft - roughly another 15 - 20 minutes. At this point, you may wish to mash some of the beans with an immersible hand blender, or scoop some out, mash and return to the pot. Stir in the salt and serve in small bowls or over steaming hot rice.

Yields 4 servings.

More black-eye pea dishes from my vegetarian kitchen:
Black-Eyed Peas with Fresh Dill
Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Black-Eyed Pea Patties
Black-Eyed Peas with Mustard, Cumin and Curry Leaves

On the top of the reading stack: The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

Audio accompaniment: The River Made No Sound by Pan American

15 comments:

  1. I make this dish now and again, its really satisfying!

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  2. This is the perfect reason for me to finally pick up that can of black-eyed peas at the grocery store next time I go! So yummy looking!

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  3. Everybody likes this at my home..we make it in a similar way...a little variation by just adding jaggery to it.

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  4. I love your last picture;The curry looks very inviting.We make it almost the same way except we add potatoes to it!

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  5. Right now I follow a lot too. Love it. This is a tasty creation. I love those healthy meals full of flavors.

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  6. my mum makes a similar dish to this all the time. and i always love it! yours is perfectly spiced and looks really good!

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  7. This is such a beautiful way to cook bean! I remembered cooking them this way last year for the first time and it was really good.

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  8. I like back eyed peas but rarely make..this looks gud

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  9. Black eyed peas are one of my favorite kind of beans and this curry sounds like a great way to have them, flavorful and delicious !

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  10. I make the black eyed pea pretty often with the fenugreek & in similar way, but never used curry leaves & tamarind in it. besides the taste, I like these beans for they cook faster than the others;-)

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  11. This looks delicious. Black-eyed peas are another favorite of mine.

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  12. Hi Lisa,
    I love these kind of curries :)oh yes it would be great with both rice and roti.My blog roll too is growing by the day there are so many wonderful blogs....it's a great inspiration :)
    TC

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  13. Love this gravy, never made using tamarind though, sounds delicious!

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  14. Awesome dish - I've made this several times already and am doing so yet again!

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  15. A bowl full of black eyed peas with spices and herb are really healthy and delicious. One secret ingredient is the spices and herbs. These makes the dish more tasty and healthy.

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