Easy Black Eyed Peas Curry Lobia Curry

An appetizing black-eyed peas curry is one of my favorite ways to use this versatile legume, alongside other Indian style black-eyed pea recipes like this black-eyed peas dal and this low-carb black-eyed peas and cauliflower curry. This easy black-eyed peas curry is aromatic with curry leaves and creamy with coconut milk. And it tastes absolutely fantastic with rice or roti.

Why you will love this recipe

Flavorful and spicy. An Indian curry should announce itself with an assertive, appetizing aroma that simply makes you want to eat. This black-eyed peas curry does that, and how! There are so many delicious flavors in this recipe, and it will bring your family running to the dinner table. Easy and one-pot. One-pot recipes are great, but easy and one-pot is hands-down fantastic. This dish needs just over 30 minutes from scratch to finish and you need mostly pantry ingredients to make it. Suited to all diets. The black-eyed peas curry is vegan, soy-free, nut-free and gluten-free, making it suitable for all eaters.

Ingredients

Black-eyed peas (cowpeas/lobia/chawli/karamani). Use cooked or canned black-eyed peas. You will need 3 cups of cooked beans, which is the yield from one cup of dried black-eyed peas. If you would like to learn how to cook dried black-eyed peas, which is a far superior option to using canned, read my post on how to cook the perfect black-eyed peas. It includes foolproof instructions for cooking the beans on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot and in the slow cooker, as well as with and without soaking the beans first. Coconut oil. Coconut oil is great in this recipe, which has south Indian flavors. You can also use a neutral oil, including avocado oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil. Mustard seeds. Use black mustard seeds in all Indian cooking. Curry leaves. Curry leaves add a lovely aroma to this recipe. If you don’t have fresh curry leaves, substitute with a couple of tablespoons of fresh cilantro instead. Ginger garlic paste Powdered spices: turmeric, ground coriander (coriander powder), ground cumin (cumin powder) and cayenne or paprika (or any red chili powder of your choice) and garam masala. Tomatoes. You can either puree fresh tomatoes or use canned tomato puree. Coconut milk. You need just ½ to ¾ cup here, not too much, because you don’t want to drown out the other flavors. Cilantro. For garnish.

Serving suggestions

Serve the dal with any Indian flatbread, like roti or chapatis, vegan naan, or khasta parathas. Or pair it with a grain, including basmati rice, cooked millets or quinoa. If you are eating fewer carbs, eat this curry with cauliflower rice – that’s what I eat it with and it tastes amazing. Serve a sabzi alongside the dal and rice or roti. I love pairing it with this cabbage curry or this spicy cauliflower sabzi.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: The black-eyed peas curry can be stored in the fridge for three days. Refrigerate immediately after it cools down to room temperature. Freeze: You can freeze the curry in an airtight container or freezer-safe container for up to three months. Reheat: Reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave. Add more water and salt if needed.