My favorite spicy Lobia recipe (black-eyed pea curry) - including a Vegan friendly option!

This is adapted from my favorite Indian recipe book ever ... uh, yeah, like the title says...

Ingredients:

1 can black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)

4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil (yes, this can be made vegan!)

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

De-stemmed cilantro for garnish

Spices

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to your taste)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

1 bay leaf

1/2 can diced tomatoes (sometimes I just cut up a fresh one)

1 fresh serrano pepper, minced (remove the seeds if you prefer it to be less spicy)

salt to taste

optional: 1/2 cup of prepared Better than Bouillon Organic vegetable stock

optional: spinach!

Method

1. Heat the oil or ghee over low-medium heat and saute the onions for 5-10 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and ginger, as well as all the spices and saute for 2 minutes or so (this is a typical Indian procedure for getting the spice "paste" created to infuse the sauce!)

2. Add in the tomatoes, stir in the minced serrano and saute for 2-5 minutes

3. Finally add in the black eyed peas with the chopped cilantro

4. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the beans are heated through. If it gets too dry, I like to add 1/2 a cup of Better Than Bouillon Organic vegetable stock. (If you are using spinach, add it about 10 minutes before you take it off the stove).

5. Serve with plain boiled rice - yummy!