May 29, 2008

Click.....Black Eyed Beans Curry /Lobia Curry...


A TOAST TO THE WORLD OF BEANS..

This is my entry for click...beans Event over Jugalbandhi.I wanted to get the photo in before the deadline.



A lot can be said about beans.. it s a protein powerhouse, the fiber suppliment, nutrition warehouse, the diet vegetable protein etc. We grew up eating beans in some form or the other, with a second thought, just because it tasted so good, without knowing it was such a super duper food. I can have it with rice, with roti, or just a bowl of cooked beans by itself as a snack. I am glad about it now as beans is a regular feature in my house too, and my little one will gladly eat a plate of rice and beans on finicky days than eat any meat.

Now it is listed as one of the Top Ten Superfoods all over the media. These are lists that every magazine is printing nowadays, in an effort to make people eat more healthily.
So what is a super food? Imagine food that is powerful enough to help you lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer and other big time ailments. Not the artery clogging foods that every diet asks you to abandon... No side effects if you eat a bit more than you are required everyday.. These foods are so full of goodness that they are now called superfoods in the light of the current superhero craze. Well, Popeye knew this way back, didn't he?

But when I tried to find a single list that is comprehensive, found that some were contradictory. The criteria varies for each list.. heart healthiness, omega 3 content,fiber, vitamin content, pesticide levels etc. But what was common among them was the undisputed goodness of beans and lentils. The other nine I consider superfoods by heart healthiness (which is my criteria) currently are Berries, Citrus, Salmon/fish, Nuts, Tea, Olive oil, Whole grains, Green leafy vegetables and yogurt.

Back to the beans: Eating just one cup of cooked beans is akin to eating a multivitamin..It is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Copper and Manganese. So have a bowl of rice and beans or beans as a side with rotis and see if you like it.


You Will Need:

Black Eyed Beans/Lobia- 1 1/2 cup
Onion- 1/2 of a medium sized one chopped finely
Tomato- 1 1/2 or 2 plum tomatoes chopped
Ginger Garlic Paste-1 1/2 tablespoon
Coriander Powder- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chili Powder- 3/4 teaspoon
Green Chilies-2 slit vertically.
(Roasted)Cumin Powder- 1 teaspoon
Cilantro leaves- a handful, washed and chopped

Preparation:

Soak the beans for an hour in warm water or you could even leave it soaked overnight. This beans cooks faster than Kidney beans so not much soaking required.
Cook it in a pressure cooker with 3 cups water for one whistle and then on slow heat for about 5 minutes. After the cooker cools down, open and keep aside.
Heat about 1-2 tablespoon oil and fry the onions. When it turns a bit transparent, add the cumin(reduce the heat when you add the powder, it can burn instantly). After a minute, add the ginger garlic paste, the chopped tomatoes and the powdered spices. Let it cook on slow heat till the tomatoes become pulpy, give out the oil and start moving together as a mass. This should take about 6-8 minutes on slow heat with constant stirring. When the spices are all cooked and the whole gravy has come together, add the cooked beans and stir well. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Add more water if there is no liquid left. Add salt to taste and when you take it off the flame, add the cilantro leaves.

18 comments:

Finla said...

Lovely click and love the garlicky shrimp from the last post

bee said...

nice click and gorgeous curry!!!

FH said...

Yummy photos, both of them!:)

Your Ulli Kozhi were devoured by the whole family, was fingerlicking good! Thank you Shaheen!::)

indosungod said...

Yes to all what you have said. The curry looks delicious. We had black eyed peas with cauliflower.

Linda said...

Looks delicious Shaheen! I have only learned to appreciate these beans in my adult life. To think what I'd been missing! Will definitely try this :)

Namratha said...

Good click and very nice curry :)

Umm Maryam said...

I made this last night and it was delicious. JazakAllah khair for sharing!

Shah cooks said...

Happy cook, the click just happened and thought of entering it.

Bee, thanks!!
Asha, couldn't leave a comment in your last post due to blogger's weirdness. Loved that you loved the curry.

Indo, i don't need to convince you on beans, do i!!:)

Linda, you will like this one.. it is similar to all the lentils..

Namratha, Thanks!!

Umm, u made my day!!

Macadamia The Nut said...

Talk about coincidences! I just got the blackeyed beans from our Indian store here last weekend to see if I could find the Olan recipe which uses it. But this looks so much better...
:D I'll try it today vonley!

P.S. Nice pics!!

Sagari said...

beautiful picc

Anonymous said...

Mouth watering curry as always!

Anonymous said...

actually visited ur blog..4 the 'ullikozhi' recipe. havn't made it since the maid took over cookin. so kindda forgot. :)
A's b'day 2morow. he used to lov it.

black eyed beans don't generaly come in my shopping list..looks like i shud try...
i stick to kadala, cherupayar, rajma..;)
ki

FH said...

Made a similar dish Monday from Nupur's blog. Love the color!:)

Mishmash ! said...

I just made it and had it for dinner with chappathi....the steaming bowl of this dish was tasty and comforting......but guess what, only when i came here to drop the comment I realised that i forgot to add ginger garlic paste!!! hehehe :)))

Shifa AbduRehman said...

i tried this today and it really came out good.. :)

Priyanka said...

This is the first time I am trying out a recipe from your blog. I have been looking for a recipe other than olan that uses black eyed beans and there, I found yours. Didn't know we could make it this way too. Right now, its on the stove in its last phase of cooking (simmering) and it already smells really good!! Just waiting to taste it. Thanks a lot for the wonderful recipes!

Ramya said...

the picture is good...but my dish didnt come as those seen in that picture....in my dish the taste of coriander powder aheads...and I dont know wat to do with it...also the beans has no taste of the curry...it has the taste of cooked bean..

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Didn't see any spices to be powdered in the ingredients list....

Am I missing something...

Please help

Dee