Curried Black-Eyed Peas

Happy New Year to all you fellow Herbies out there. It is a new year, it is time for a new veggie and since it is the first of January, I selected, not surprisingly, Black-Eyed Peas as New Veggie #63. Eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Years Day is a tradition in Southern United States and it is supposed to bring you luck to last the whole year through.  Black-Eyed peas may be served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens), with the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. In some areas cabbage may be used in place of the greens. Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold. Some say that for the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year's Day (that's a rather healthy serving .. I don't think I could manage that!). Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health. Whatever the reason might be, I figured if they're bringing good luck, I shouldn't pass on eating them today. 

Curried Black-Eyed Peas

The preparation I've made today is quite a traditional Indian preparation, with the exception of mushrooms and corn. I added the latter, only because I accidentally added too much salt to my preparation and need to tone down the sodium content. 

Prep Time: 20-25 min

Ingredients (4 servings):

1. 2 cups dry or frozen Black-Eyed Peas
2. 2 large tomatoes, diced
3. 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
4. 2 cups of water
5. 4 tbsp Granulated Onion
6. 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
7. 1 tsp Cumin seeds
8. 1 tsp Coriander seed powder
9. 6-8 Mushrooms, sliced
10. 2 cups frozen corn
11. Salt and Pepper, to taste
12. 1-2 tsp Garam Masala, to taste

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook under high pressure for 12-15 min. Dry beans take slightly longer than frozen beans (which are pre-soaked). Once done, open the cooker, give a good stir and simmer for a few minutes until the dish has the consistency of a thick stew. Serve over brown rice, garnished with fresh or dried cilantro. Enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 201
Total Fat 2.3 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 39.4 g; Fiber 7.8 g; Sugars 4.9 g; Protein 10.4 g