In the recent weeks of this surreal pandemic experience, I keep being struck by how adaptable people are, despite most of us HATING change. In the beginning, I felt a little angry and going outside with my mask on made me feel like I was in a version of The Handmaid’s Tale, where everyone walked down the street at a distance without making eye contact. But now, transforming my living room into a home gym at 6pm everyday feels pretty normal and I’m no longer deterred from grocery shopping by a line of people down the block.
My perspective has also shifted dramatically from irritation to something more like…gratitude? Food has played no small part in this transition. When most other opportunities have been taken away, I can still cook and I can still look forward to eating something delicious at my next meal. It’s small, but it’s significant.
In the early days of food hoarding, and as grocery stores adjusted their supply chains to the new normal, it was sometimes hard to find ingredients, and that could be frustrating. But it feels as though that’s mostly sorted itself out, which makes cooking even more of a joy.
That said, there are plenty of amazing things we can make with the humblest of ingredients. Indian recipes, in particular, are great for transforming the dried beans and lentils in your pantry into something bordering on magical with a few shakes of ground spices. Some ginger and garlic. Maybe a tomato.
I made these black-eyed peas months ago, back in Normal Times. I served them with a few other dishes- a cauliflower and paneer combo. Something else I can’t recall. Because weirdly, it was the beans that stole the show. A good reminder that sometimes it really is the little(st) things.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground asafetida
- 1 large tomato, cored and finely chopped
- 12 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing
Instructions
- Place the black-eyed peas in a saucepan, add water to cover and bring to a boil. THen cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the peas are tender, 35 5o 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the ghee. Add the mustard seeds, cover the skillet and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Then stir in the salt, cumin, coriander, sugar, turmeric and asafetida. Immediately add the tomato and curry leaves. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has softened but is still chunky-looking, 2 to 3 minutes. Set this fragrant, tart, pungent and sweet sauce aside until the black-eyed peas are done.
- Add the sauce to the cooked black-eyed peas and stir once or twice. Spoon some of the peas and water back into the skillet and scrape up every last bit of sauce, pour this back into the pea pot. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peas have absorbed the flavors, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.
Notes
From 660 Curries
