The Black Eyed Peas

No, not that one.

 



Yes that one!

 

As a vegetarian, one of the biggest things that I struggle with is how to make sure me and my family get the protein we need.  For a while, my husband and I just had just two staple protein items we would go to and needless to say, we both got really sick of them.  So now, we're on a mission to try new forms of protein every week!  And yesterday I tried a new recipe that was a success! 

Side Note: A part of my blog will be to document my various attempts at cooking different Indian dishes.  Listen, when I got married, I didn't even know how to make rice (the ratio is usually 2 cups water to every 1 cup of rice by the way).  I survived on ridiculously simple food items that did not involve any form of cooking or take out all through college and law school.  But now, I actually enjoy cooking!  And as I try these new recipes and have them come out well (certified by my husband's taste buds), I want to share them with you.  And even if you're brand new to Indian cooking, you should have confidence, because if I can make it well, there's a very good chance you can too!

So back to yesterday's dinner... and yup, you guessed it, the recipe involved black eyed peas... here's how it went:

 

What you need:

1/2 cup of dried black eyed peas (from the Indian store)

1/2 teaspoon of tamarind paste

2-3 tablespoons of sambar powder (I'm lucky because I get sambar powder from India, but if you can't get that, go for the MTR sambar powder from the Indian store)

A little bit of jaggery  

2-3 teaspoons of salt
2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds

A couple pinches of hing

 

What you do:

1. Put the 1/2 cup of black eyed peas along with 1 1/2 cups of water into the pressure cooker.
2. Let the pressure cooker steam for 6-7 whistles (please wait until it's cool before you go to open it - I've burned myself many times by trying to open the cooker before all the steam was out).
3. Add another 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  At this point also add about 2-3 teaspoons of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind paste.  
4. Separately, mix the 2-3 tablespoons of sambar powder with some water to make a smooth paste.
5. Add this newly created paste into the boiling water while stirring.
6. Let this continue to boil on low for approximately 30 minutes (this is the key to getting this to thicken up)  
7. Add a little jaggery and turn off the stove. 
8. Final touch: separately, heat a little vegetable oil and into that put about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds and a pinch or two of hing.  Wait until the mustard seeds start to pop and then add it in to the soup (make sure to stand back because sometimes the oil/water combo splatters).  (Note: This last element is called the vagarne or the tadka and if you're cooking Indian, this last step is usually always involved in some form or the other.  If you're serious about Indian cooking, I would invest in one of these so that you have the right utensil to make the vagarne/tadka to add to your dishes.  They usually sell them at your local Indian store.).

And that's it!  In South India this is called Black Eyed Peas "Huli", I'm not sure what it would be called in North India and I guess here in America, we can call it a Black Eyed Peas Soup.  We had it on top of rice and it was delicious.  My husband really liked it because it had a "smoky flavor" that he enjoyed.  As for me, I was just happy I found a new way to get protein and a new Indian dish under my belt. 

The Finished Product

 On top of rice - yum!

 

So give it at try! And maybe you'll find that "tonight's gonna be a good night" after all!  And there's my shout out to the musical Black Eyed Peas to bring this post full circle :-)