Instant Pot Indian Black Eyed Pea Curry (Lobia Masala)

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May 3

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Screen Shot 2021-05-03 at 9.44.46 AM.png — **Black Eyed Peas Curry**, known as Lobia Masala, was an absolute delight of my school’s cafeteria, and I begged my mom to make it for me at home! The Instant Pot helps you get everything together efficiently and the results are amazing!

As I’m writing this Lobia Masala recipe, Mother’s Day is a week away! I wanted to dedicate this recipe to my mom! I first had this dish from my school cafeteria. I loved it so much and begged my mom to make it for my sister and I at home. Her version was amazing, and I couldn’t get enough of it! Before this recipe, I didn’t eat legumes very often. I loved Rajma Masala and Restaurant-Style Dal Makhani (psst, where both can be made in the Instant Pot as well!), but that was pretty much it. This Lobia Masala opened up my eyes for sure!

If you’re looking to treat your mother to a vegetarian delight, then get out your Instant Pot and make this dish for a very comforting Sunday lunch or dinner! Yes, this is a homestyle recipe without any lavish spices or cream here, but to me Mother’s Day screams simple comfort food. Let’s celebrate all the hard work and unconditional love provided by our moms and give them a wholesome and healthy meal! Just because it’s a special occasion doesn’t mean you should spend lots of time slaving away in the kitchen. After all, it is Mother’s Day, and you want to have as much time as you can with your mother on this wonderful day! Let me know if your mother played a role in your cooking journey! She sure did with mine!

With this Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry, all you need is a blender to make a puree that will be the base for your gravy. Then, the Instant Pot takes over, and this tastes as extremely delicious, if not even yummier, than the traditional stove top recipe! Take advantage of the minimal clean-up and effort and prepare a wonderful side dish to go with this! Bond with your mother and prepare some Homestyle Rotis or Light & Healthy Vegetable Pulao to make this a complete meal!

What Is Lobia?

Lobia translates to “Black Eyed Peas” in English, or cow peas. You’re right, just like the music group! Comment below if you’re missing their music!

These little guys are tiny but they’re loaded with amazing nutritional benefits that you’ll relish in by making this recipe! Let’s review what one cup, 170 grams, of cooked black eyed peas, has jam packed in it:

13 grams of protein
11 grams of fibre
88% of your daily intake of folate
20% of your daily intake of zinc
10% of your daily intake of Vitamin B6

This isn’t all, the benefits keep going! Black eyed peas are high in polyphenols, compounds that are antioxidants in the body to prevent cell damage and that protect against disease.

If you want to learn more about the many nutritional benefits of lobia, then be sure to read the article here!

Why Make Instant Pot Punjabi Lobia?

I say this all the time with my Instant Pot recipes but the main reason you’ll want to make it is to SAVE TIME & DISHES! With that being said, there are plenty of reasons why you should make this Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry:

The obvious, saves time & dishes
Excellent choice for busy nights when you don’t want to clean but want a hearty meal
High in protein and fibre
Gluten-free and can be vegan (if you substitute the ghee with other cooking oil)
No soaking required!

Yes, you don’t need to soak your lobia! That’s a great bonus for me! I’ll admit, I’m someone who often forgets to soak my beans, or I decide what to eat for dinner last minute. So, you don’t have to skip out on having this amazing black eyed peas curry if you didn’t plan ahead. Yay!

Don’t have an Instant Pot? Don’t worry! This recipe can easily be adapted to be prepare just as well without one. All you’ll need is a stove top pressure cooker to cook your black eyed peas, and you can prepare the masala in a deep pan or wok. More details can be found in my Punjabi Lobia Masala recipe! Do keep in mind, however, that if you’re going to pressure cook your black eyed peas over the stove, then I highly recommend you do soak your lobia. That’s the key difference.

TIPS & TRICKS FOR PUNJABI LOBIA

Make sure the onion masala is cooked well before adding the black eyed peas. The masala should be fluffy and slide around the pan easily. To help cook the masala, add a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick.
Mango powder/Amchur is tangy, so add a small bit at a time, taste, and add more as per your preference
This curry is very mildly spiced, so don’t overdo the the amount of spices you put in the curry. The sweetness from the onions and tomatoes will play well with the creaminess of the beans.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry

FOR THE LOBIA

FOR THE CURRY

Onions
Tomatoes
Ginger
Garlic
Cumin seeds
Ghee
Hing
Red chilli powder
Ground coriander
Mango powder
Garam masala
Turmeric
Green chilies (optional)
Cilantro, for garnish

How to Prepare Punjabi Lobia in the Instant Pot?

Add onion, ginger and garlic to a food processor, add a bit of water to get the blades moving and puree. Set aside.
Add tomatoes to the same blender, puree and set aside.
Set Instant Pot to Saute mode on Normal and add ghee, along with the whole spices (cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and cumin seeds). Add pinch of hing as well.
Cook until spices are reddish brown and aromatic. Add the onion, ginger, garlic puree and mix well.
Add turmeric and ground coriander and cook until mixture turns most of the moisture has cooked out. The masala should be golden brown, fluffy and slide around the pan easily. Add a splash of water as needed if mixture starts to stick.
Add the lobia/black eyed peas and mix well. Then, add pureed tomatoes, 2-2 1/2 Cups water, deggi mirch, and salt.
Mix well and select Cancel on the Instant Pot. Close the lid, make sure knob is on Sealing mode and set the Instant Pot to Bean & Chilli mode. Cook for 19 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
Open the lid and mix well. Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and season with salt as needed, mango powder and garam masala.
Add in cilantro for garnish and simmer until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

Serving Suggestions for Instant Pot Lobia Masala

I usually serve my Lobia Masala with Plain Steamed Rice. However, there are many ways you can serve this lobia masala! As it’s a homestyle dish, we’ll usually serve with homestyle breads, such as Classic Homestyle Roti/Chapati/Phulka or Classic Layered Paratha. You could serve with a stuffed paratha, however, such as Aloo Paratha or Paneer Paratha!

Feel free to serve with a rice dish of your choice, such as Jeera Rice Pulao or even a Light & Healthy Vegetable Pulao .

Watch How to Make Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Curry Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

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Indian, Instant Pot, vegetarian

Indian

Yield: 4

Author: Anadi

Instant Pot Indian Black Eyed Peas Curry | Instant Pot Lobia Recipe | Instant Pot Recipes Vegetarianhttps://youtu.be/ejhVUO_k-xAIndian Black Eyed Peas Curry, known as Punjabi Lobia Masala, is great for those looking for Instant Pot recipes vegetarian and for gluten free recipes. This recipe is ideal for those following a plant based diet. This video will show you how to adapt the classic lobia recipe in the Instant Pot. Lobia means black eyed peas. This Instant Pot Indian black eyed peas curry is vegetarian and does not require you to soak your black eyed peas. The beans and masala are cooked together in the Instant Pot. This can be a vegan Instant Pot recipe by substituting ghee with another cooking oil.2021-05-03

Instant Pot Indian Black Eyed Peas Curry - Punjabi Lobia

Black Eyed Peas Curry, known as Lobia Masala, was an absolute delight of my school’s cafeteria, and I begged my mom to make it for me at home! The Instant Pot helps you get everything together efficiently and the results are amazing!

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 19 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 44 Min

Ingredients

1 inch ginger, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
3 medium tomatoes
2 Tbsp ghee
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 cm cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of hing
1 tsp turmeric, divided
1 tsp ground coriander
1 Cup lobia/black eyed peas
water (2-2 1/2 Cups or as needed)
1 tsp red chilli powder/deggi mirch
salt to taste
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp amchur powder/dried mango powder
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Add onion, ginger and garlic to a food processor, add a bit of water to get the blades moving and puree. Set aside.
Add tomatoes to the same blender, puree and set aside.
Set Instant Pot to Saute mode on Normal and add ghee, along with the whole spices (cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon and cumin seeds). Add pinch of hing as well.
Cook until spices are reddish brown and aromatic. Add the onion, ginger, garlic puree and mix well.
Add turmeric and ground coriander and cook until mixture turns most of the moisture has cooked out. The masala should be golden brown, fluffy and slide around the pan easily. Add a splash of water as needed if mixture starts to stick.
Add the lobia/black eyed peas and mix well. Then, add pureed tomatoes, 2-2 1/2 Cups water, deggi mirch, and salt.
Mix well and select Cancel on the Instant Pot. Close the lid, make sure knob is on Sealing mode and set the Instant Pot to Bean & Chilli mode. Cook for 19 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally, about 15-20 minutes.
Open the lid and mix well. Set the Instant Pot to Saute mode and season with salt as needed, mango powder and garam masala.
Add in cilantro for garnish and simmer until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.