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This Punjabi Lobia recipe is another one of my favourite recipes that I'm super excited to be sharing with you! Punjabi Lobia is a curry with black eyed peas and loads of tomatoes, it is healthy, tasty, and nutritious. This lobia masala goes well with Steamed Rice or Classic Homestyle Roti.
Black eyed peas are legumes that have a unique flavor which works great with some Indian spices and a light tomato and onion based gravy to make this Punjabi lobia recipe. My earliest memory of enjoying this Indian-style black eyed peas recipe was in first or second grade, when lunch used to be served in our classroom. This was a popular dish served, and I remember thinking to myself, “wow, this rajma is so tasty!” Rajma is Hindi for kidney beans, and I’ve got that recipe covered right here. I actually had no clue what black eyed peas were when I fell in love with them!!
Then years later, my mom decided to make Punjabi Lobia Masala for us and I was re-introduced to the same delicious aroma. The best part about black eyed peas in Lobia Masala is how creamy they become once cooked. I enjoy this dish whenever I want to indulge in some all vegetarian cuisine. Plus, these beans are high in protein and fiber and are incredibly nutrient dense.
This hits all of the familiar flavor points of Indian cooking and is such a great treat! It's been ages since I've had my mom’s classic recipe but I recently rediscovered this dish and I'm super excited to be sharing it with you! Now, if beans are a pesky protein for you to cook, then don’t worry about it! This Indian-style black eyed peas recipe will show you how to guarantee perfectly cooked black eyed peas, so I definitely encourage you to make this nutritious and delicious North Indian lobia masala as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! You can get started for free today by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be delivered directly to your inbox!
Be sure to follow along with the video recipe above and enjoy this Punjabi lobia recipe for a home-style Indian dinner tonight! I would really appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already and be sure to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes go live! Let’s get cooking!
Questions You May Have About This Punjabi Lobia Recipe!
What is Lobia?▼
Translated to English, lobia means “Black Eyed Peas.” Yep, black eyed peas like the music group! Black eyed peas are also known as cow peas.
Although black eyed peas appear tiny, they’re actually nutritious powerhouses! One cup, 170 grams, of cooked black eyed peas contains 13 grams of protein, 11 grams of fibre, 88% of your daily intake of folate, 20% of your daily intake of zinc, and 10% of your daily intake of Vitamin B6. That’s just the start! They also 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 nutritional benefits of lobia, then be sure to read the article here!
What is This Punjabi Lobia Recipe?▼
Punjabi Lobia Masala is more of a home-style recipe, served in most households. This curry consists of lobia added in a spicy onion-tomato gravy. We flavour the gravy with aromatic spices, such as cinnamon and black cardamom, ginger and garlic, and ground spices, such as garam masala, and green chilies for some heat. You can omit the green chilies if you don’t want the spice!
As I mention in many of my curries, I love lots of tomatoes, so I’m going quite heavy on the tomatoes here. You could use more or less depending on how much gravy you want.
Do I Have to Soak The Black Eyed Peas?▼
While I typically would recommend that you soak beans for optimal results, and if you don’t soak your beans, then they will need to cook for much longer. Typically, the problem of cooking un-soaked beans in your pressure cooker or Instant Pot is that the beans may not cook consistently - some beans may be perfectly cooked, but some may turn out slightly mushy, and in contrast, soaking beans will give you more predictable results. However, if you forgot to soak your black eyed peas to make Punjabi Lobia, then actually black eyed peas are more forgiving to be pressure cooked un-soaked compared to some other beans, such as rajma. While I think soaked beans are the best, you can get away with using un-soaked beans if you suddenly decided to make lobia masala curry for dinner tonight!
With that being said, if you are planning to have this delicious Indian black eyed pea curry in the future, then you only need to allocate a minute to measure out the beans and add water, so I always recommend to plan accordingly, if possible! If you want more details on how to cook your dried beans perfectly in the Instant Pot, then check out the complete guide here.
Can I Use Canned Black eyed Beans?▼
I say this for all of my bean curry recipes - yes, you technically CAN use beans from a can, but the final product will not be as delicious. As I outline in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, I certainly encourage you to use a suitable substitute for an ingredient that you already have so that it can avoid an unnecessary grocery trip and you having an ingredient that you’ll perhaps use only one time You’ll notice that we save the cooking water from the black eyed peas to add into our final Punjabi Lobia. The cooking water from the black eyed peas really contributes to tons of flavour in the finished product. When you’re using canned beans, you won’t get the flavours that came from the cooking water, so I recommend you cook your own dried beans to have the best results!
Dietary Considerations for Punjabi Lobia Masala
This Punjabi Lobia Masala recipe is:
- Vegetarian, and vegan
- High in plant-based protein
- High in fiber
- Budget-friendly
- Gluten-free, if using certified gluten-free hing
- Low in calories
Tips & Tricks to Master This Punjabi Lobia Recipe
- Lobia/Black eyed peas cook really quickly. If you have an Instant Pot, you don’t even have to soak lobia in advance. In 16-18 minutes, they are perfect. Let the pressure release naturally.
- If you are using a stove top pressure cooker, once the pressure sets in, cook for 2-3 whistles (4-5 minutes) till the beans are soft. Let the pressure release naturally.
- The peas are creamy and give a mild nutty flavour that shines through if cooked well.
- This curry is very mildly spiced, so don’t overdo the amount of spices you put in the curry. The sweetness from the onions and tomatoes will play well with the earthiness of the beans. Always ensure to taste for seasoning.
Tools Needed to Make Indian Black Eyed Peas Curry
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- Mixing bowl
- Salt crock
- Cutting board
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Food processor
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Spatula
- Pot
- Ladle
Ingredients for This Punjabi Lobia Recipe
To make this Punjabi Lobia recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients shown below. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card with all ingredients listed with their quantities and to save the recipe for later. Based on how many portions of Punjabi Lobia you’re looking, you can also use the recipe card to scale all ingredients to that you don’t have to worry about calculating ratios - all ingredients and quantities will automatically be adjusted for you!
For the Lobia
- Black eyed peas or lobia
- Bay leaf
- Black cardamom
- Cinnamon stick
- Turmeric powder
- Ginger
- Salt to taste
- Water, as needed
For the Punjabi Lobia Masala
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Cumin seeds
- Olive oil
- Hing
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Coriander powder
- Amchur powder/dried mango powder
- Garam masala powder
- Turmeric
- Salt
- Green chilies (optional)
- Cilantro, for garnish
How to Make Punjabi Lobia
To Cook the Lobia/Black Eyed Peas
Using a Stovetop Pressure Cooker
Soak the lobia overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.
Add dried lobia/black eyed peas, salt, the bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, turmeric, and ginger with 4 times the volume of water. Cook for 2-3 whistles on high heat, then turn down the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes. Let the remaining pressure release naturally.
Using an Instant Pot
In the Instant Pot add the black eyed peas. Season with salt and pour in 4 times the volume of water.
Add bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, turmeric, and ginger.
If using dried black eyed peas, set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook mode on High pressure and cook for 14-18 minutes. Ensure Instant Pot is in Sealing mode.
Otherwise, if you have soaked your black eyed peas for at least 4-6 hours, then set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook mode on High and cook for 5 minutes. Ensure Instant Pot is in Sealing mode.
Let the pressure release naturally (about 20 minutes)
To Make the Lobia Curry
Purée the ginger, garlic and onion and set aside.
Purée the tomatoes in a food processor, set aside for later.
Heat olive oil in a wok or a deep pan on medium heat and crackle in the cumin seeds and add hing. Cook until the cumin seeds are reddish golden brown.
Add the puréed onions, garlic and ginger, along with the turmeric and ground coriander. Mix and cook until the mixture has become dry and lightly browned.
Add in the pureed tomatoes along with the red chili powder and salt. Mix and cook until the mixture has dried out a little bit.
Then add the black eyed peas along with the reserved water. Add any extra water as required to make a runny gravy, bringing it to a simmer.
Next add in garam masala and mango powder. Cook until the gravy has thickened to your liking.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions for Punjabi Lobia Masala
I recommend you serve this Punjabi Lobia Masala recipe with some rice or bread! You can’t go wrong with some fluffy steamed basmati rice, but Jeera rice will also work really well with this dish, as well as any of my favourite breads such as Punjabi Lachha Paratha, Classic Homestyle Roti/Chapati/Phulka and Classic Layered Paratha.
Can I Make Punjabi Lobia Masala With Ghee?▼
I used olive oil to make this Punjabi Lobia Masala recipe vegan. However, if you want to cook with ghee, then definitely go for it! I love to alternate between using ghee and olive oil to make Punjabi Lobia, quite honestly just based on the flavour profile I’m looking for that day. If you aren’t making this for people who are vegan and you yourself do not practice veganism, then ghee will be an excellent cooking oil for Punjabi Lobia and it adds tremendous flavour!
Can I Make Punjabi Lobia in Advance?▼
Yes you can definitely make Punjabi Lobia Masala in advance! I’ve done it and this black eyed peas curry tastes amazing the next days! Like they say about curries, the longer it sits, the more yummy it gets.
Plus, you can prepare the lobia in advance and have it ready in the refrigerator, so that when it comes time to prepare the curry, all that’s left is preparing the sauce.
Store the curry in a container in the fridge. You can reheat the lobia in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, taking the container out in 45 second intervals to stir. Punjabi lobia will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Cooking Notes for the Best Lobia
Lobia — black-eyed peas — is a humble bean loved right across North India and Pakistan, usually simmered into an everyday curry and eaten much like a dal with rice. The key is the beans themselves: soak the lobia beans overnight (or at least 4–6 hours), then drain them and pressure-cook with a little salt and whole spices in about four times their volume of water until they're tender but still hold their shape. Save that starchy cooking water — it's what gives the gravy its body.
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