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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