Easy Black Eyed Beans Masala Curry

Quick Black Eyed Peas Recipe

Let’s make a fragrant Goan curry, a vegetarian curry – a quick black eyed peas curry recipe. Let me show you how easy it is to make it. Though it’s also made with white black-eyed beans or peas (or chawli, as we call this in India), this black eyed beans masala curry is traditionally made with the red or brown variety of chawli. The Konkani name for it is ‘alsande tonak’, where alsande is the Konkani name for brown or red black-eyed beans, and tonak means a curry made with coconut and onion.

You could also call this a chawli masala curry or a lobia masala curry recipe. It’s super-delicious. So do give it a shot.

Interested in another Goan dish made with black-eyed beans? Then do check out this sweet teatime treat – Goan sweet beans. Once you’ve soaked the beans, it can be made in a jiffy and with just a handful of ingredients.

Ingredients

1 cup chawli (180g)

1 medium-size potato (optional)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp turmeric powder

Curry paste

1 tsp oil

1-inch cinnamon stick

6 cloves

4 petals star anise

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ cup grated coconut

½ tsp turmeric powder

8 garlic cloves chopped

1-inch ginger piece, sliced

Curry

1 tbsp ghee

A few cashew nuts

2 tbsp oil

5 green chillies, finely chopped

1 med size onion, chopped

4 med size tomatoes, pureed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1 ¼ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 – 3 tbsp chopped coriander

Procedure

1. Wash the chawli in plenty of water and then soak it in enough water (2 inches above the level of the beans) either overnight or at least for 5 hours.
2. Drain the water. Add fresh water to the chawli (1 inch above the level of the beans).
3. Wash and peel the potato and cut it into cubes. Add it to the beans. Add in the salt and turmeric powder and pressure cook the beans. Once the cooker attains full pressure, lower the heat, and let the beans cook for 7-8 minutes under pressure.
4. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise petals and fry them in the oil for a minute. Add the coriander seeds, and cumin seeds and fry these for a couple of minutes. Add the grated coconut, and roast everything till the coconut just begins to change colour. Let the mix cool a little and then transfer it to a grinder jar.
5. Add around ¼ cup water, the turmeric powder, and the chopped garlic and sliced ginger. Grind the mix to a smooth paste adding some more water as needed.
6. Purée the chopped tomatoes.
7. In a vessel, heat the ghee, and fry the cashew nuts till they just start browning. Turn off the heat and remove the fried cashew nuts to a small bowl.
8. To the same pan, add the oil and turn on the heat. Add the chopped green chillies. Sauté these for a few seconds and then add the chopped onion. Fry the onion till it just starts changing colour.
9. Add the cumin seeds and the gram masala. Sauté this for a few seconds and then add in the masala paste. Fry this for a minute or so and then add the rinsing of the grinder jar and the tomato purée and stir everything.
10. Add the pressure-cooked beans and potato mix. Stir everything well again. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Stir the curry and taste it. Add 1 more tsp of sugar and ¼ tsp of salt. Then add the tomato ketchup. Taste the curry again and make any adjustments to the taste if necessary.
11. Add the fried cashew nuts and the chopped coriander. Give the curry a final stir and then plate it.

Enjoy!