A quick recipe

Last weekend, I was planning to make some Gogji Razma from Jugalbandi, but we finished with all the patio furniture shopping pretty late, and I also saw the black eyed peas (lobia), that I had bought a few weeks back on a whim, lurking in my pantry.

Hence, I abandoned plans to try an exotic recipe and went with something that seemed easy and extremely quick. I looked in the Madhur Jaffrey book that I own, An invitation to Indian cooking, and found this recipe.

Of course, I didn’t read it in as much detail as would have been necessary to deter me from trying it, namely the extensive simmering required. Hence, when I got to that portion, I used all the quick cooking techniques that I have learned over the past few months of reading Mallika’s blog and made this dish super fast. Thanks, Mallika!

Here’s my version.

Black Eyed Peas with Tamarind

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• A pinch of asafetida
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 cans of black eyed peas, drained
• 1 smallest size can of tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

 Steps:

1. Heat the oil in saucepan.
2. Add the asafetida and the cumin seeds. Wait for it to sizzle.
3. Add the onions and fry them till they are golden.
4. Add the turmeric, coriander and red chilli powder and stir to mix and cook.
5. Add the drained black eyed peas and the tomato sauce.
6. Mix and cook everything till it comes to a boil.

    7. Add the tamarind paste and stir to mix.

    8. Cook on high for 5 minutes or until some of the sauce evaporates.

    9. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

This was pretty good on Day 1, but was even better on Day 2, as the sauce thickened overnight in the refrigerator. Best of all, it was super easy and fast.