Lobia recipe or black-eyed pea is the quick and easy-to-make recipe which is cooked in a Punjabi style by cooking spices in onion-tomato gravy.
Prep Time10mins
Active Time30mins
Soaking time2hrs
Total Time2hrs40mins
Course: Curries, Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian, punjabi
Keyword: Black-eyed peas curry, Lobia recipe
Yield: 4
Calories: 185kcal
Materials
1cupLobia or black-eyed peas
3cupsWaterfor pressure cooking
¼cupMustard oil
1-inchCinnamon stick
1Bay leaf
1tbspJeera/ Cumin seeds
2medium Onionsfinely chopped
2mediumTomatoesfinely chopped
1tbspGinger-Garlic paste or finely chopped
Salt as per taste
¼tspHing/ Asafoetida
½tspHaldi/ Turmeric powder
2tspCoriander powder
1.5tspKashmiri red chilli powder
1tspKitchen king masala
1tspGaram masala
1tspAmchur/ Dry mango powder
1tspKasuri methi crushed
A handful of coriander leavesfor garnishing
Instructions
Soaking and pressure cooking Lobia:
Rinse a cup of Lobia under running water and soak it in a large bowl with enough quantity of water.
Soak lobia for at least 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Lobia doesn't take a long time like kidney beans or chickpeas, even 2 hours of soaking is enough.
After 2 hours, rinse the soaked lobia again under running water and put it in the pressure cooker with the pinch of salt and water.
Pressure cook for 2 whistles, until it turns soft and can be mashed easily with the spoon or fingers.
Making Lobia masala or black-eyed peas curry:
In a thick wide bottom kadhai, heat ¼ cup of mustard oil and when oil starts releasing smoke lower the flame and add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cumin seeds.
Saute cumin seeds till it starts spluttering, then add finely chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent.
Then, add finely chopped or grated ginger-garlic and saute till raw smell of garlic goes away.
Add finely chopped or grated tomatoes in the kadhai and mix and saute till the moisture from tomatoes are evaporated.
After 3 to 4 minutes, the onion-tomato mixture will start to thicken and oil starts to release from the mixture.
Then, add dry spices - hing, haldi, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, kitchen king masala and salt.
Mix and saute dry spices with onion-tomato paste for 3 to 4 minutes on medium flame.
After a few minutes, spices and onion-tomato paste will be cooked and now add boiled and strained lobia or black-eyed peas.
Mix it gently with the spatula and make sure not to mash lobia's otherwise it would look like mashed gravy.
Add half a cup of water and give it a nice mix. And let it simmer on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes till the lobia absorbs all the flavour and aroma from the spices.
Lastly, add garam masala, amchur powder and crushed kasuri methi and mix it gently without mashing all the lobias.
Turn the flame off and cover and let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving. Serve it with parathas along with onion slices and lemon wedges.