Lobia masala is a North Indian style black-eyed peas curry made in a spiced onion tomato gravy. It pairs well with rice, chapati, and even paratha.
Here is how to make this easy and delicious Punjabi Lobia Curry recipe using the Instant Pot, pressure cooker (stovetop) method.
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Lobia Masala is one of those delicious comfort food that the entire family loves.
I used to make this black-eyed bean curry using the traditional pressure cooker but now make it one pot using my Instant Pot. Makes it so easy and convenient!
It's one of those cozy meals that are perfect for weekdays! So had to share with you all!
Also, did you know, there is a popular belief that eating black-eyed peas on New year's day brings prosperity in the new year. Definitely trying that!
Here are some other favorite beans recipes - Rajma Masala and Dal Makhani.
What is Lobia
Black-eyed peas also known as black-eyed beans or cowpeas are a type of bean. In North India, they are called "Lobia" and "Chawli" in Marathi.
It is usually light in color with a prominent black spot. It has a good shelf life, easily available in grocery stores, and makes a great pantry staple to have at hand.
They are very versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes, including soups, curries, stews, and salads.
Black-eyed peas are highly nutritious and associated with many health benefits.
To name a few, they are high in protein and fiber, good for weight loss, improve digestive health, and promote heart health.
In today's post, I'm sharing how to make a delicious Indian style black-eyed peas recipe.
This Lobia Curry Recipe is
- Easy to make
- Vegan and glutenfree
- Delicious and nutritious
- Cozy and comforting
Growing up, I ate "Chawli usal" or "Chawlichi Usal" which is a Maharashtrian recipe made using these beans. Mom makes it more on the dry side and we ate it with chapati.
Whereas the Lobia curry that I'm sharing today is a Punjabi recipe where the beans are cooked in an onion-tomato gravy flavored with Indian spices. It pairs beautifully with rice.
This curry is a a true combination of healthy, delicious and comforting food.
How to make Black-eyed peas curry
There are two ways to make this Black eyed peas curry recipe.
1 - Traditional way - In this method, the beans are soaked, pressure-cooked, and then mixed in gravy made of onion, tomatoes, ginger garlic, and spices).
2 - One-pot in Instant Pot- In this method, the beans are soaked and then cooked along with the spiced onion-tomato gravy.
Both ways, it turns out delicious and honestly comes down to one's preference.
I have used a traditional pressure cooker previously but nowadays I make my lobia curry in Instant Pot and love the convenience of one-pot cooking.
Here is the step by step for making black eyed peas curry using Instant Pot.
Please see the recipe card for the traditional pressure cooker method.
Recipe Ingredients
Lobia - also known as black-eyed peas or black eyed beans. I'm using dry beans not canned.
Spices - Cumin seeds, hing (safoetida), turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, pepper
Aromatics - onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilies, use fresh ones.
Tomatoes - You can use diced tomatoes or fresh or store-bought tomato puree for this recipe. Alternately tomato paste can also be used.
Others - Oil or ghee for cooking, lemon juice, and cilantro to finish the recipe.
Step by step method
Soaking the beans
1 - Wash the black eyed beans a couple of times and then soak 3-4 hours.
After soaking they will swell and become slightly bigger in size. Soaking helps the lentils cook faster and also makes them easier to digest.
2 - Drain and wash with water one more time, drain and keep aside.
To make Instant pot black-eyed peas curry
3 - Start the Instant Pot on saute mode and add the oil/ghee. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, and asafoetida.
4 - After the seeds splutter, stir in the onions and saute until golden brown.
5 - Stir in the ginger garlic and green chilies and cook until the raw garlic smell disappears.
6 - Deglaze the pot by adding 1-2 tablespoon of water.
7 - Add in the tomato puree along with the spice powders - turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and mix well.
If using diced tomatoes, cook them first covered for 2-3 mins or until soft and then add the spices.
8 - Add the soaked and drained beans to the pot and mix well.
9 - Add 3 cups of water. Mix until well combined.
If you want to make Pot in Pot rice, at this point, you can place a trivet and pot with rice and water over it.
Close the Instant Pot lid with vent to sealing position and pressure cook on manual (pressure cook) or bean chili mode for 15 mins followed by a natural release.
Once the pin drops, open the Instant pot lid, (remove the rice pot) check if the beans are cooked, They should easily press them between ur thumb and finger.
10 - If you prefer a creamy consistency, mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon. Simmer on saute mode for 5 mins, and finish off with some lemon juice and cilantro.
Delicious and nutritious Lobia Curry is ready!!
Serving suggestion
Lobia curry is best-served hot with plain cooked basmati rice or cumin flavored rice called zeera rice
You can also serve it some Indian flatbread like roti (chapati) or paratha or naan.
Add a side of green chutney, salad (kachumber), or raita (yogurt dip) and make it a complete and colorful meal.
Recipe Tips
Soak the beans as it makes them easier to digest as well as reduces the cooking time.
To meal prep, cook just the beans ahead of time or over the weekend store-covered refrigerated for a couple of days. When ready to eat, just add them to the cooked onion tomato gravy and simmer.
For smoother gravy, chop the onions extremely fine (use a food processor if needed) and saute them until soft and brown. I don't prefer to puree onions but you can also puree if needed.
Add freshly grated ginger-garlic for more depth of flavor.
For a richer tomato flavor and color, use store-bought tomato puree since it's more concentrated. Alternately add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the fresh tomato puree.
Skip using ghee to keep it vegan and skip hing to make it gluten free.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but the flavor is best when beans are cooked from scratch. To make using canned beans, skip pressure cooking. Use about 2-15oz cans of black-eyed beans, drain and rinse them, and to the onion tomato masala and simmer for 10 mins for the beans to soak the flavor.
If you did not soak the beans then just cook them longer for 30 mins in an Instant pot followed by natural release. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
Yes, black-eyed peas curry can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and frozen for longer use. Allow it to cool completely before you refrigerate or freeze. Thaw frozen curry overnight in the fridge, and reheat in the microwave or stovetop until completely heated through. Add water as needed to adjust consistency.
More beans curry recipes
Hope you enjoy this Punjabi Lobhia Masala recipe!! If you give this recipe a try, please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card. Thank you ❤️ ! You can also follow me on Facebook | Instagram to see what's cooking in my kitchen!!
Recipe Card
Lobia Masala | Black Eyed Peas Curry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup black eyed beans Lobia, chawli
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch asafoetida hing
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 1-2 green chilies finely chopped, adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 2 medium tomatoes pureed or finely chopped or use ½ cup store bouoght tomato puree
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ -1 teaspoon garam masala adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves finely chopped
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Instructions
Soaking the beans
- Wash the black-eyed beans a couple of times and then soak 3-4 hours.
- After soaking they will swell and become slightly bigger in size. Soaking helps the beans cook faster and also makes them easier to digest.
- Drain and wash with water one more time, drain and keep aside.
To make Instant pot black-eyed peas curry
- Start the Instant Pot on saute mode and add the oil/ghee. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, and asafoetida.
- After the seeds splutter, stir in the onions and saute until golden brown.
- Stir in the ginger garlic and green chilies and cook until the raw garlic smell disappears.
- Deglaze the pot by adding 1-2 tablespoon of water.
- Add in the tomato puree along with the spice powders - turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and mix well.
- If using diced tomatoes, cook them first covered for 2-3 mins or until soft and then add the spices.
- Add the soaked and drained beans to the pot and mix well.
- Add 3 cups of water. Mix until well combined.
- Close the Instant Pot lid with vent to sealing position and pressure cook on manual (pressure cook) or bean chili mode for 15 mins followed by a natural release.
- Once the pin drops, open the Instant pot lid and Check if the beans are cooked. You should be able to easily press them between your thumbs and finger.
- If you prefer a creamy consistency, mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon. Simmer on saute mode for 5 mins, and finish off with some lemon juice and cilantro.
- Delicious and nutritious Lobia (black-eyed beans curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
To make black-eyed peas curry using Pressure Cooker
- Add the soaked and drained black-eyed beans to the pressure cooker along with 1 teaspoon salt & 3-4 cups of water.
- Close the lid with weight on top and pressure cook on medium heat for 4-5 whistles. Allow the steam to settle and once the pin drops open it.
- Check if the beans are cooked. You should be able to easily press them between your fingers. If not, cook them for additional 1-2 whistles. Make sure do not overcook else they will turn mushy.
- Drain the cooked beans, keep the drained water & use it to adjust the gravy consistency.
- To make the gravy, In a heavy bottom pot, heat oil and add the cumin seeds, and asafoetida (hing).
- After the seeds splutter, stir in the onions and saute until golden brown.
- Stir in the ginger, garlic, and green chilies and cook until the raw garlic smell goes away. Deglaze the pot by adding 1-2 tablespoon of water (if needed).
- Add in the tomato puree and cook until it thickens or reduces. If using diced tomatoes, cook them covered for 2-3 mins or until nice and soft.
- Stir in the spices - turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt
- Add the cooked beans along with the water it was cooked in (as per the consistency you like). Increase the heat to medium-high and bring this mixture to a boil and then simmer on low for 5-10mins so beans soak all the flavors.
- If you prefer a creamy consistency, mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon, while simmering.
- Finally, add the lemon juice along with cilantro
- Delicious and nutritious Lobia (black-eyed beans curry is ready. Serve hot with rice or roti.
Notes
- Soak the beans as it makes them easier to digest as well as reduces the cooking time.
- To meal prep, cook just the beans ahead of time or over the weekend store-covered refrigerated for a couple of days. When ready to eat, just add them to the cooked onion tomato gravy and simmer.
- For smoother gravy, chop the onions extremely fine (use a food processor if needed) and saute them until soft and brown. I don't prefer to puree onions but you can also puree if needed.
- Add freshly grated ginger-garlic for more depth of flavor.
- For a richer tomato flavor and color, use store-bought tomato puree since it's more concentrated. Alternately add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the fresh tomato puree.
- Skip using ghee to keep it vegan and skip hing to make it gluten-free.
- To make Pot in Pot rice using the Instant pot method, place a trivet and pot with 1:1 rice and water (salt for seasoning) before closing the lid and pressure cooking.
Sejal says
I’ve been using this lobia recipe for years, it’s a family favourite 🙂
Shweta Arora says
Hi Sejal, that makes me so happy to know! Thank you! Hope you try the other beans recipes too!
Laurie says
Delicious, I added a few whole spices early on (clove, bay, cinnamon) and some paprika and smoked paprika with the powdered the coriander, garam masala and chilli. A great recipe.
Shweta Arora says
Thanks for sharing! Addition of whole spices definitely makes the curry more flavorful. Glad to know you loved it!
Hema says
Healthy and yummy..
Divya Pramil says
Wow such a flavorful version here with healthy peas 🙂 Love to give it a try!!
Today's Recipe ~ Peas Carrot Pulao
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Shweta in the Kitchen says
Hi Archana, Both are lovely events, will definitely send something soon
Philo Sequeira says
The dish has turned spicy what can I do to cut it otherwise excellent recipe
Shweta Arora says
Hi, here are a few options to cut down the spiciness, add some lemon juice and a bit of sugar or honey. Or add heavy cream (this recipe doesn't call for cream) but you can add heavy cream too to reduce the heat. Finally, you can increase the quantity by adding more beans which will reduce the heat, and adjust other spices accordingly. Hope this helps!
srividhya Ravikumar says
love the presentation... looks yum..
Archana Potdar says
Wow yum.
Lovely space you have here.
I am hosting Bake Fest all through Sept ’12. Do send me your entries
I am also hosting Fast Food Not Fat Food 1st Sept to 15th Oct ’12. Do send me your entries
Sanoli Ghosh says
Droolworthy chwli chi usal. Love your presentation dear. Following back you.
Nandita Pai Shirali says
These are simple and yum arent they? We make a similar version at home.