Tuesday 1 October 2013

Black-Eyed Bean curry (Lobia)

Are they black-eyed beans or maybe black-eyed peas? They're both! But since black-eyed peas have no musical worth, I'll be referring to them as black-eyed beans. Makes sense? Yeah.

Lobia = black-eyed beans in the Punjab

Just check this out:


I love cooking with pulses because they cost bugger all and pack a big protein kick. If you spice them right, you won't miss the meat one bit. Oh, and Indian food is so very very spicy. Love it!

This excellent North Indian recipe is very very very nearly vegan and that near miss is because I couldn't resist adding a dollop of cream. Leave it out. Be vegan!

Serves: 4
Cost: 1.25 zl per person (25 UK pence, 62 Kazakhstani Tenge)

You'll need:

- two good handfuls of black-eyed beans soaked overnight then boiled for an hour till soft
- 2 green chillies, 2 cloves of garlic and an inch of ginger whizzed up in a coffee blender to a fine paste
- 2 finely chopped onions
- 2 fresh tomatoes skinned and pureed 
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp nigella (onion) seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/3 tsp red chilli powder

Let's get on it!

1. Soak the beans overnight then boil for an hour till soft

2. Prep the green chilli/ garlic/ ginger paste. Puree the tomatoes and chop those onions real fine, baby.


3. Prep the onion and mustard seeds - these add a subtle pungency and nutty characteristic


4. Prep the powdered spices. Now you're ready to rock!


5. Veg oil in a hot wok. Seeds in


6. When the seeds snap crackle and pop, get the onions in. Sprinkle salt to speed up the cooking process


7. When the onions start to brown, get the chilli/ garlic/ ginger paste in. Cook out the rawness for a couple of minutes


8. Turmeric in


9. Tomatoes in


10. Cook that down nicely for around 5 minutes


11. Get the rest of those spices in!


12. Risk a little cream - you naughty boy!


13. Time for the beans! Salt to taste


14. Cook for around 5 minutes more on a low heat - let those beans incorporate themselves into that amazing sauce!

15. Serve with basmati rice


What did this cost?

- beans: 1 zl
- Tomatoes: 1.5 zl
- rice: 1.6 zl
- the rest: 0.9 zl

Total: 5 zl
Serves: 4
Total per person: 1.25 zl

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