Veggie Fact of the Day

Crowder peas are called so because they are crowded together in their pads which causes them to have the squarish, funny looking shape. Crowder peas are also sometimes called Cow peas and belong to the field pea family, same as the black-eyed pea. are a leguminous crop, similar to the Black-eyed pea. 

As I researched Crowder peas this afternoon, I realized that they aren't all that new to me after all. They are often used in Indian cooking and are called Chawli in Marathi and Lobiya in Hindi, although I think that the Indian names are used a little more loosely than elsewhere. The lobiya I remember from my childhood was a pale buff colored bean with a dark spot where it attached to the pod ... remind you of something?? ... that's right! The Black-eyed pea. So while they may be related, they're definitely not the same plant. I didn't find much nutrition information specific to Crowder peas but I did find that like other beans and peas, they are rich in fiber and protein, and low in fat. ... they're good food people!!

Curried Crowder Peas

I picked up a pack of frozen Crowder Peas at the store last weekend. I'd never had them before but they looked a bit like black eyed peas in the picture. How bad could they be? I like almost every kind of bean I've ever tried ... so in the cart it went. So today, these funny looking beans, odd shaped, and not consistently so,  had the opportunity to be New Veggie #22. I had my curry with Cumin Brown rice and Bhuna (pan roasted) Button Mushrooms.

Curried Crowder Peas (Lobiya)

Prep Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1. A 1lb bag of frozen crowder peas
2. 2 medium red onions, julienned
3. 3 medium tomatoes, also julienned
4. 2-3 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
5. 2-3 tsp Coriander powder
6. 2-3 tsp Cumin powder
7. 2-3 tsp Garam Masala
8. 2-3 Bay leaves
9. 1 cup Vegetable broth
10. salt, to taste

Ingredients for Sides:

1. 1 cup Brown Basmati Rice
2. 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
3. 1-2 whole green Cardomoms
4. 6 oz small button mushrooms
5. 1 tsp Cumin powder
6. salt to taste
7. 1/8 cup Vegetable broth

Directions: Load up all the ingredients for the curry in a pressure cooker*, bring to a boil, add more water or vegetable broth to ensure that there is adequate liquid in the cooker and close. Cook under pressure for 10 min. Let the steam dissipate by itself before opening. 

Separately, in a skillet, boil 1/8 cup vegetable broth, add halved or quartered mushrooms, cumin and salt to taste and mix well. Cook until the broth is completely evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown up nicely. 

Rinse dry rice in plenty of water and boil in ample amounts of water, with cumin seeds and cardamom, until done. Drain & Serve. 

My Assessment: ... this was Comfort food at its best!!

* I've been asked before if a recipe can't be made without a pressure cooker, and the answer is .. of course it can. For this one, you can use a crock-pot (slow cooker) on high for 4-5 hours, or you can simply simmer it on the stove in a dutch oven for about 60-90 minutes for the same results (check peas to make sure they have reached a creamy melt-in-your-mouth consistency). Happy cooking!