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An easy to prepare curry for a meal, this Instant Pot Black-Eyed peas curry is super delicious. Pair it with roti, rice or parathas for a complete meal.

Indian curries vary from the simplest recipes to some with many steps and ingredients. They are easy to make on the stove top, using the pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

Beans form a large part of Indian cuisine. They make great curries and equally amazing appetizers and snacks. Moreover, being a powerhouse of nutrients, they are great for any meal or as a side.

Black-eyed peas or lobia beans are popular across states. Prepared in several ways this curry is generally enjoyed with roti, parathas or steamed rice.

What is Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are classified as pulses. They are healthy and make a great side, main or even salad.

These peas are unique in shape and color and they are easy to cook in various ways. From boiling or pressure cooking to cooking in the Instant Pot or even sprouting the beans.

These beans are pretty easy to make as they need less time to soak. Plus they are easy to make even without soaking. They cook in fairly less time compared to the other beans and legumes. So we can have a meal in minimum time and always flavorful.

There is a tradition in US to make black-eyed peas on New Years' day. They believe it brings good luck. There is lot of literature on this online.

We enjoy it for lunch all year round and finally I have the recipe here on New Years'. We have started making this curry on January 1 too.

From all the different versions, I am preparing the one with Indian spices. Minimal spices, an easy to follow recipe and great side for roti, parathas or rice.

This Recipe of Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas

Comes together quickly in the Instant Pot. It is an easy mix, cook, serve recipe with black-eyed peas and spices.
This curry is great as a side for parathas, phulkas and rice. Plus convert it to a warm salad by topping with greens, crunchy croutons and chopped vegetables.
The recipe works well for meal prep. Refrigerate for 3-4 days and freeze for a longer time. Simply defrost the frozen beans for 3-4 minutes and heat up thoroughly. Then enjoy topped with cilantro.
Black-Eyed Peas curry is also great for lunchbox. It can be made with lesser gravy by reducing the added water by ¼ cup. That way there will be no spills while carrying.
Plus, the beans are great for a salad or soup. Add your choice of greens, vegetables and crunchy elements and whip up a warm salad. Or add extra water and make a delicious soup with the beans.

Overall, the recipe is beginner friendly and makes an easy curry. Plus, adjust the spice level to make it kids friendly. It is naturally Vegan and Gluten-free too.

Make this nutrition rich curry and enjoy for a comfort meal. It is loaded with folate among other nutrients. can be enjoyed in so many ways.

Video Recipe

Ingredients

Black-Eyed Peas: The main ingredient we use here is black-eyed peas. I like to soak them for at least 4-5 hours or overnight. However, they can be used without soaking too. They will need a longer cooking time.
Onions, Tomatoes: Finely diced onions and tomatoes give the curry a lot of flavor and body. Using crushed or canned tomatoes is an option too.
Ginger Chili: To flavor the curry I like to use ginger and chili pastes. These can be blended together or used separate. However, skip or reduce the green chili for a milder version. Plus, adding some garlic paste is an option too.
Spices: I like to add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida and curry leaves to the oil while tempering. These Indian spices not only make the curry flavorful and asafetida aids the digestion of beans.
Spice Powders: Like most Indian curries, I add chili powder, turmeric, dhania jeera and garam masala to the beans. These are perfect for most curries and work well here too.
Oil: The tempering for the recipe is in oil. I use Olive Oil but any oil works here. However, it can be tempered in ghee too.
Other Ingredients: I also add salt, sugar, lemon juice and cilantro to the curry.

Step by Step Instructions to make Black-Eyed Peas

1- Set the instant pot to 'Sauté'. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida.

2- Then add the curry leaves and let the seeds pop.

3- Then add diced onions, ginger paste and chili paste. Mix and let the onions cook till translucent.

4- Next add diced tomatoes and mix well.

5- Let the tomatoes cook till soft.

6- Add the dried spices i.e. red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and dhania jeera powder. Mix well and let the spices coat in oil.

7- Then add the soaked black-eyed peas, water, salt and sugar.

8- Mix well and close the instant pot. Then set mode to 'pressure cook' and time to 12 minutes. Once the cooking process is done, let the pressure release naturally. Then open the cover.

9- Mix well and add cilantro and lemon juice.

10- Serve with your choice of rice or roti.

Tips and Notes

Always sort your dried beans to ensure they are free from stones and dirt.
Soaking them for a few hours not only helps cooking them quickly but also aids digestion.
The same recipe works with canned beans too. Replace one cup of dried beans with 30-32 oz (2 cans) of canned beans.
The curry is great with roti or rice. It is also great as a meal prep recipe. Prepare and refrigerate up to 3 days. To serve heat in the microwave for a minute or 90 seconds. Plus, it is easy to freeze for months.

More curries to try

Instant Pot Paneer Butter Masala: Creamy, rich and delicious restaurant style Paneer Butter Masala. This recipe is super easy to make in the Instant Pot and is great with Tava Naan, Garlic Kulcha and Jeera Rice!
Baingan Bharta: A curry made from roasted eggplant, onion, tomatoes and Indian spices; Baingan Bharta is a MUST-HAVE Indian curry!
Instant Pot Palak Paneer: A popular Indian curry made from spinach and paneer (cottage cheese); Palak paneer is creamy and yummy plus really easy to make in the Instant Pot!
Vrat Waale Aloo: A delicious stir fry using potatoes; this Vrat Waale Aloo is an amazing dish for fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi and more.