Preparation time 30 minutes, cooking time 1 hour and 40 minutes. Soak overnight.
Serves 4
Ingredients
150 g black-eyed peas
4 red peppers, cut into half with stalks remaining, but the seeds and core removed
Key Spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 Indian bay leaf
1 1 inch piece of cassia bark
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Warming Spices
1 tsp fenugreek, soaked in 2 tbs hot water
Other Spices
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp ajwain
1 tsp mango powder
Wet Ingredients
Coconut oil spray
2 tbs coconut oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tsp pulped garlic
1 tsp pulped ginger
2 fresh green chillies, pierced
2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tsp sundried tomato paste
1 tsp grated jaggery
Rock salt or salt flakes to taste
Small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
4 wedges of fresh lemon
Method
Wash and soak the peas overnight.
Rinse the peas and place in a saucepan.
Add just enough water to cover the peas. Bring to the boil, add the asafoetida, then cover and simmer gently until tender but not mushy, which should take 25-30 minutes.
Drain the peas, but keep the drained water.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C, 260 F or gas mark 4
Put the peppers into a shallow roasting tin, spray with coconut oil, sprinkle the ajwain evenly over the peppers and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Place a small dry frying pan on a low heat add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and mustard seeds and gently warm for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat, add to the pestle and mortar and grind coarsely. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat the coconut oil on a low heat, add the bay leaf, cassia bark and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and salt to taste, and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, sundried tomato paste, jaggery and the contents of the pestle and mortar, and sauté until you see that the mixture resembles a paste. This should between 5 and 8 minutes.
If the paste becomes a little dry and sticks to the pan, then just add a little water whenever you need, to help you achieve the required consistency.
Add the peas to the large sauté pan, mix and stir well. Cook for 10 minutes, adding a little of the drained water if the mixture becomes dry.
NB – The peas should become semi-dry, so that you can scoop them into the half peppers.
Add the fenugreek leaves and mango powder, and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the fresh coriander leaves, then fill the roasted peppers with the peas. Serve with the lemon wedges, chapattis and a cucumber raita.
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