Instant pot black eyed peas or lobia masala is a rich and filling curry with no unhealthy ingredients to spoil the fun. These beans taste yum in this Indian-style curry and can be enjoyed with roti (Indian bread) or rice for a complete meal.
Course Lentils and Beans
Cuisine Indian
Keyword black eyed peas curry, lobia, lobia dal, lobia masala
Rinse the soaked black-eyed peas under running water in a colander and dump them in the steel insert of your instant pot. Add enough water to cover the beans completely.
Secure the lid, press the pressure cooking button (high) and set the timer to 20 minutes. Make sure the steam release handle is on 'sealing.' When the timer beeps, allow the steam to escape naturally (15 minutes).
Cook the beans in the open pot for 10 minutes (optional).
Transfer the cooked beans along with all the liquid to a big bowl and keep aside.
Rinse the steel insert lightly and switch to sauté (normal). Add the oil followed by the onions. Fry the onions until they are reddish-brown in colour.
Add the ground masala (onion, ginger and garlic pastes) as well as the ground spices (coriander, turmeric and red chilli powder). If required, add a little water and cook, covered, until the oil leaves the side of the pot and the masala turns shiny. Do stir once or twice to see that the masala doesn't burn.
Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften and the masala once again becomes thick and shiny.
Add the cooked black-eyed beans and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder, green chillies and cilantro. Serve hot with Indian bread or rice for a complete meal.
Notes
Do soak the beans for a few hours or overnight for perfect texture and softness. If you forgot and still want to make this curry, increase the cooking time by 15 minutes at least.
Roast the masala well at all the stages of cooking for this is the secret to a tasty curry that doesn't have any raw smell or taste. If the masala is not well roasted, the curry just won't have the same taste. Well-roasted masala will turn dark and have a shiny appearance, the oil will separate from the masala and it will not have any raw smell.