Black eyed peas are a popular legume in many different cuisines. Long associated with new beginnings – many cultures believe that eating this bean on the first day of the new year brings prosperity and good luck.

These legumes or beans (not peas!) are related to mung beans. They are a good source of vegetarian protein (when combined with grains or rice) and an excellent source of soluble fiber.

Black-eyed peas have been harvested in China and India for centuries and are quite standard all over the Indian sub-continent. Names in India vary from lobia in North India, chawli in Maharashta or chori in Gujarat.

I came across this recipe years ago in Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking, the first Indian cookbook I ever bought. Although I had been cooking for a while – I mostly baked or made simple dishes. But in 1992, my maternal grandparents, Prabhulal and Kumud Shah (Dadaji and Ba) came to stay with us. Ba was well known as a wonderful home cook.

My grandparents followed Ayurvedic traditions – which involved some interesting rules

• they only ate food cooked by my grandmother or by family – everything was homemade and made from whole foods,
• food and drink were only served and eaten with stainless steel dinnerware,
• once seated to eat – Ba and Dadaji would not get up from the table until they finished eating,
• they were vegetarian,
• they did not eat onions or garlic.

Interestingly enough, despite all these restrictions, Dadaji was a “foodie” and really enjoyed trying new dishes. Ba could cook anything – both she and Dadaji convinced me that I could too.

I really wasn’t that interested in cooking Gujarati food at the time, so I purchased Indian Cooking and began trying different recipes. Every few days, I would pour over the book, choose a recipe and make two different versions; one for my grandparents (keeping in mind  their dietary restrictions) and  one for the rest of the family. A dish I tried early on was Lobhia aur Khumbi (black-eyed peas with mushrooms).

Ba helped me work through the recipe and taught me to use the Indian spice asafetida, or hing, to replace the flavors usually attributed to onions and garlic.  As with most ingredients in Indian cuisine – hing has a purpose beyond flavour – it is considered a digestion aid, an anti-microbal and if you follow Ayurvedic principles, hing is beleived to balance the vata and pita doshas.

All in all a good addition to one’s diet – especially if you are avoiding onions and garlic!

My variations on Ms. Jaffery’s original recipe include using baby bella mushrooms, increasing the amount of cumin, adding fenugreek leaves (use spinach if fenugreek is not available) and adding tomato paste.

Mushroom Chori

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1-2 dried red chilies (optional)
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 medium onions, diced (about 6 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 10 ounces  baby bella mushrooms (or white button mushrooms), washes, sliced with stems on
• 5-6 roma tomatoes, diced – (or 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 red chili powder
• 1/2 ground turmeric
• 3 cups cooked black eyed peas **
• 1/2 block thawed fenugreek leaves – optional (can substitute with fresh or frozen spinach leaves as well) ***
• 4 cups water
• salt to taste
• generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Method

(This recipe assumes you are starting with cooked black-eyed peas)

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan or small stock pot at medium heat. Once oil is hot, add whole cumin seeds, dried red chili and cinnamon stick.
2. When cumin starts to sizzle and release it’s aroma, add onions and stir. Cook until onions become golden and slightly brown at edges. Next add garlic and give the mixture a few stirs.
3. At this point, remove the onion/garlic mixture to a bowl and keep aside.
4. Return the pot to heat and add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms until rawness has gone and liquid is released. Remove mushrooms to another bowl and keep aside.
5. Add onions back to pot, furthermore, add tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not stick to bottom of pan.
6. Once tomatoes are cooked add dry spices: ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder and turmeric. Stir to combine.
7. Next add back mushrooms along with any liquids, the cooked black-eyed peas, fenugreek leaves, water, salt, black pepper and tomato paste.
8. Stir to combine and after mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with a hearty Indian bread or basmati rice  and bit of achar or mango pickle on the side.

Notes

** I cook the black-eyed peas in my pressure cooker but you could just as easily use canned beans

*** Fenugreek leaves, also know as methi, are a good source of iron and protein as well as  vitamin K. They add a slightly bitter flavor to the dish and should be used with moderation. If you would like a milder flavored green, use a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach instead.

As always – please drop me a line and let me know your thoughts!

Thanks so much,

Shruti