New Year’s or not, I always have a jar of black eyed peas in my pantry to make recipes like this crispy Akara or black-eyed pea fritters, crockpot black eyed peas, black eyed peas dal and vegan Hoppin’ John. The black-eyed peas recipe I have for you today is also rather special. For one, it’s easy and quick because it all comes together in the Instant Pot. You just throw in the ingredients one after the other, click the lid shut, and let the magic happen. This recipe packs in all the flavor of an authentic southern black-eyed peas stew. But instead of the animal fat that can traditionally be found in these recipes, I throw in tons of flavorful ingredients to add umami. Umami is that elusive fifth flavor that usually comes from animal ingredients. But there are ways and ways to add it to a vegan recipe, and for these Spicy Southern Black Eyed Peas I use a few of them, including:
Tomato paste Mushrooms Soy sauce (you can skip this if you want a soy-free recipe) Vegetable stock Roasted red peppers
Other ingredients that create the perfect chemistry with these umami ingredients are: Check to get new recipe updates by email.
Black eyed peas Onions Garlic Bell peppers Cajun seasoning Thyme Kale (you can sub collards) Ground black pepper Salt
Expert tips
Make sure to use the umami ingredients. Try not to skip them because you really want that flavor. If you hate mushrooms (and why would you?), you’ll hardly even notice them because there are so few here. Or use mushroom stock instead of vegetable stock if you absolutely don’t want the mushrooms. You can skip the soy sauce if you want a soy-free recipe. Use vegetable stock. A great trick in any vegan stew or soup is to use a flavorful stock that adds depth, and this stew is no different. It takes just minutes to make a great vegetable stock at home or use storebought, but choose low sodium. You can make this recipe free of added oil by using ¼ cup of vegetable stock to saute the onions, celery and bell peppers. The roasted red peppers might seem a bit redundant because you already have bell peppers in the recipe (I used green), but the roasting adds wonderful depth. The great thing about cooking in the Instant Pot is, you don’t need to presoak your beans. You can also use frozen black-eyed peas or canned black eyed peas in this recipe. If you do that, set your IP to pressure cook for 10 minutes, instead of the “chili” setting. For a perfect dinner, serve the spicy southern black eyed peas with rice or crusty bread.
Here’s the recipe. If you make it, be sure to let me know in the comments below. Or take a photo and post it on Instagram with the tag @Holycowvegan.
More black eyed peas recipes
Caribbean Black Eyed Peas Stew Creamy, Curried Crockpot Chowder with Black Eyed Peas Savory Black Eyed Peas Sweet Potato Pancakes Black Eyed Peas with Ground “Beef” (Lobhia Keema) Vegan Black Eyed Pea Cakes
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