Have you ever had lobia or black eyed beans? This curry is predominant in north part of India and also known in pockets on Maharashtra. In this curry, black eyed beans are cooked along with onion and tomato gravy. Talking of healthy and deliciousness together can be challenge sometimes. This lobia curry recipe here is solution for the weekday challenge of eating healthy and tasty.
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What is Lobia
Lobia is black-eyed bean. It has other names too, like rongi, chawli, chavli or cow beans. It is known as perum payaru in Malayalam and karamani in Tamil. This has bean shape and pale in color with black spot in centre. You will find it across the world. Black eyed bean have got stack of nutrients. It is great source of fibre, potassium, Vitamin-A, calcium and magnesium. It has negligible fat content and low calories, making it one of the great food for health.
What is Lobia Curry
Curry of Lobia / Black eyed bean in little spicy gravy of onion and tomato is Lobia curry. Tomato adds to the tanginess. This is a punjabi style curry. First boil the beans and then saute with onion and tomatoes along with selected Indian spices.
Method
- Wash and soak the lobia for 4 hours. After that, pressure cook them for 3 whistles, with salt, turmeric powder and 2.5 cup of water. After the 3rd whistle, switch off the heat and let the pressure release gradually.
- In a pan/kadai, heat oil over medium heat and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Once they crackle, add chopped onions and sauté till onion is pinkish brown.
- Add grated ginger and sauté again for few seconds. Now add asafoetida, cumin powder, red chilli powder salt and garam masala powder, sauté for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes now and cook till mixture leaves oil.
- Add boiled black eyed beans and mix well. Adjust the amount of water according to your desired consistency. Let them boil for few minutes. Switch off the heat.
I have been eating lobia since my childhood days. My mum always ensured that the family is fed well with nutrients and this black eyed bean was an easy and not so costly option. Sometimes she will also make salad from lobia by boiling lobia and tossing it with raw tomatoes, onion, cucumber along with chaat masala. I must confess that these days there are many more options available for me, though I try to add lobia in diet by making this lobia curry once in a fortnight.
This black eyed bean curry is
- Packed with nutrients
- Easy to make and does not require massive culinary skills
- Not only vegan, but can be made gluten-free by using gluten free asafoetida (or not using asafoetida at all)
- Good change to usual curries
Pro Tips
- As cooking time varies with different pressure cooker, adjust the timing accordingly.
- Cooked lobia should be soft not mushy, else you won’t get the nice texture in your curry.
- Add one tablespoon desi ghee/ clarified butter to it once you switch off the heat. They will taste best.
- To save time in cooking, soak the lobia for few hours.
- You can easily freeze this black eyed bean curry and use it at a later date.
Serving suggestion
Serve this lobia curry with chapatti, paratha, or rice. It is one curry which fits easily with any thing. For the best taste, make sure that food is served hot.
You may like to try other beans if you like beans, such as kidney bean and cannellini beans.
This lobia curry can be refrigerated. It has shelf life of couple of days at least when refrigerated.
Recipe Card
Lobia Recipe | Black Eyed Beans Recipe | How To Make Lobia Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Black eyed peas also known as Lobia
- 1 Onion Medium Size, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Ginger Grated
- 3 Tomatoes Medium Size, chopped
- 1/3 Tsp Asafoetida
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/3 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder
- 3 Tbsp Oil
Instructions
- Wash and soak the lobia for 4 hours. After that, pressure cook them for 3 whistles, with salt, turmeric powder and 2.5 cup of water. After the 3rd whistle, switch off the heat and let the pressure release gradually.
- In a pan/kadai, heat oil over medium heat and add asafoetida and cumin seeds to it. Once they crackle, add chopped onions and sauté till onion is pinkish brown.
- Add grated ginger and sauté again for few seconds. Add asafoetida, cumin powder, red chilli powder salt and garam masala powder, sauté for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes now and cook till mixture leaves oil.
- Add boiled lobia and mix well. Adjust the amount of water according to your desired consistency. Let them boil for few minutes. Switch off the heat.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with rice and bread of your choice.
Notes
- As cooking time varies with different pressure cooker, adjust the timing accordingly.
- Cooked lobia should be soft not mushy.
- Add one tablespoon desi ghee/ clarified butter to it once you switch off the heat. They will taste best.