This Punjabi-style black-eyed peas curry is a flavorful stew made with onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and tomato, in a rich and creamy yogurt gravy.
Yes! You read right. We really are adding yogurt to hot curry!
The yogurt makes your curry velvety-smooth, and just a tad tangy. I recommend that you use full-fat whole milk yogurt, which is a healthy and satisfying choice.
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The yogurt mellows the spices in this black-eyed peas curry. To savor this dish is to enjoy a brilliant symphony of flavor notes, with yogurt playing the role of conductor, bringing everything together.
For a complete vegetarian supper, enjoy it with basmati rice and flatbread, along with a green salad. Top your rice and black-eyed peas curry with a dollop of ghee and you’ll be even happier.
Black-eyed peas curry
I am really excited to share this novel recipe with you. Maybe some of you have tried this something like this, but I had never encountered the idea of cooking with yogurt until I discovered it in Indian cuisine.
Because I love it so much, this is the first of many recipes I intend to share with you that call for cooked yogurt. This black-eyed peas curry is your invitation to try this new cooking style.
I choose black-eyed peas to introduce first, because they are popular in the United States, and easy to obtain at most grocery stores.
I really think you will love how the yogurt adds to the flavor of this curry.
Especially for those of you who are new to spicy food, I think you will appreciate the yogurt’s mellowing effect.
Moreover, this black-eyed peas curry tastes decadent, without being full of calories.
It is a dish you can return to week after week for a comforting, nourishing, meatless meal.
Black-eyed peas
I’d like to talk about black-eyed peas for a minute.
I first purchased this pea, which is similar to a bean, at my local Indian grocery store.
Not that it’s the first time I’ve encountered them though.
Black-eyed peas are part of the food fabric of the American South's soul food tradition, in particular a dish called Hoppin’ John.
Hoppin’ John is made with black-eyed peas, rice, onion, bacon, and salt. And sometimes green pepper, vinegar, and spices show up in the mix. Typically, it’s served with cooked greens and cornbread.
Black-eyed peas are striking in appearance. Beige in color, each perfectly marked with a black spot that looks like a heart.
Their diminutive size is also notable. Smaller pulses are easier to digest, and these guys are right in the middle in a spectrum between a lentil and a kidney bean.
Although black-eyed peas look like beans, they are actually peas.
This means you don’t have to soak them as long. After just one hour in soaking water, they will double in size.
This is helpful for cooks who are facing dinner hour without having soaked their beans in the morning, or the night before.
It also means that black-eyed peas don’t take as long to cook.
They’ll cook in just over an hour in a saucepan, while it takes just 8 minutes in a pressure cooker, such as an Instant Pot. For Instant Pot instructions, see the recipe notes below.
Black-eyed peas around the world
Black-eyed peas were thought to have first been domesticated in West Africa, but today they grow throughout Asia and the Southern United States.
They also go by many names, such as black-eyed bean, goat pea, chowla, and lobia.
The black-eyed pea is a subspecies of the cowpea, which is similar in size to the pea, except it tends to be wider and stubbier. You’ll find cowpeas in all sorts of colors, with red and brown being most common.
You can definitely interchange the cowpea for the black-eyed pea in this black-eyed peas curry recipe. All you need to do is add to the soaking and cooking times.
Black-eyed peas are integral to cuisines in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, as well as Cyprus, Turkey, and Portugal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the South American countries of Brazil, Columbia, Guyana, Trinidad, and Tobago.
It is amazing to consider how many ways people enjoy black-eyed peas. Here are just a few examples.
| COUNTRY | DISH | INGREDIENTS |
| Egypt | Lobia | With onions, garlic, meat, and tomato juice, and served with Egyptian rice. |
| West Africa | Akara | Deep-fried black-eyed peas, mashed with, onions, peppers, and salt. |
| Vietnam | Che dau trang | Black-eyed peas and sticky rice with coconut milk. |
| Turkey | Piyas | A salad with bell peppers, pickles, dill, mint, oil, salt, and lemon. |
| Columbia | Bunuelo | Peas with skinned removed, mashed with egg and deep-fried. Eaten as breakfast. |
Recipe for Black-Eyed Pea Curry with Yogurt Masala
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- Medium saucepan - 3.5 quart optional
- Instant Pot optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups black-eyed peas, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 5 cups water
Start the masala
- 3 tablespoons ghee, (see notes)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon green chilis (substitute with jalapeños), finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
Add the spices
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (substitute with cayenne pepper), to taste
- 1 ½ cups freshly chopped tomatoes, (or a 15.5-oz can tomato puree)
Finish the curry
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, or to taste
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Saucepan instructions (for INSTANT POT, see notes)
- Soak black-eyed peas for at least one hour. They will double in size. Drain water and rinse 2 to 3 times until the water runs clear. Set aside until needed.
Start the curry
- Heat oil or ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic, green chilis, and ginger until soft, about 6 minutes.
- Add coriander, cumin, turmeric, and red chili powder (or cayenne pepper), and sauté for about 2 minutes, and then add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
- Simmer for approximately 3 minutes to incorporate the fat and spices well into the tomatoes. Add the soaked black-eyed peas and another pinch of salt, along with 5 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cover partially with lid, and cook for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, until your peas are soft, and the sauce is nice and thick. Stir occasionally, and add extra water if necessary so it doesn’t dry out.
To finish the curry
- Once the beans are soft, turn off the heat and fold in the yogurt, remaining salt, and half the cilantro.
- Taste, and adjust for salt. You could add more red chili now if you want more heat, since the yogurt tones down the spices significantly. Garnish with remaining cilantro.
Notes
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil or ghee in the Instant Pot using the SAUTE function. Add onion, garlic, green chilis, and ginger and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered spices and stir, then add the tomatoes.Hit CANCEL, then add the soaked black-eyes peas and 4 cups of water. Select HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer for 8 minutes. Wait 15 minutes for the pressure to reduce after cooking, then open the lid safely. Follow the steps to finish the curry.
MAKE THIS VEGAN
Substitute ghee with coconut oil or vegetable oil. Substitute yogurt with plant-based yogurt.TO SERVE
Serve black-eyed peas curry with basmati rice (or any rice), and/or an Indian flatbread, such as roti or naan. For a complete meal, add a green salad, and/or a vegetable side.Nutrition
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Claudia
Hi, this is my first time finding your site and I really love how you layout the ingredients with the headings of what you are doing "start the masala", etc. It's just how my mind works and makes it easy.
I'm making this during the pandemic for just myself, so will be refrigerating it and eating it throughout the week. Should I put the yogurt in at the end of cooking the whole batch before refrigerating? or add it at the end of heating each portion?
Andrea
Hi Claudia, Wonderful to get your feedback. I guess we are like-minded. I am certainly cognizant of the challenges inherent in making a new recipe, so always try to make it as easy as possible. I understand your question about the yogurt. You may be concerned it would curdle. However, in my experience with whole yogurt, it does not curdle or spoil, so you are fine to add it all at the start. The advantage of this is that you can perfect the taste, with salt and all, then it is easier to heat up each time. To be honest I didn't think of adding it bit by bit, and I could see this also working -- in terms of one day wanting more, or less, or none at all. It gives you options. Good luck with the recipe!
Claudia
thank you!
Denise
Hi Andrea, it's so nice to see this new recipe! I've been adding black-eyed peas into some of the dishes I'm cooking lately. Glad to see a new usage for those peas. 🙂
One thing though ... and I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question: How much yoghurt did you add into the curry? I read through your instruction section several times now but can't seem to find the amount. 🙁
Andrea
Hi Denise! I am so sad that I missed yogurt in the ingredient list!!! That is a dumb, dumb mistake. Half a cup! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Joey Tipping
Oooooh, I will make this for certain!! My kind of meal! Your recipes always make my mouth water! Thank you!
Andrea
Thanks Joey!