Tasty and Spicy Cowpeas Curry

There are so many different varieties of Cowpeas grown around the world. There is one species grown in our area as intercrop with Sorghum. We use the tender seedpods as well the matured pea in our cooking.

In this instructable I will explain how to cook tasty and spicy Cowpeas curry, which can be served with Rice, Chapatis and Bread

• Take about 200 grams of Cowpeas and wash in clean water
• Boil 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker on a stove
• When the water starts to boil add few pieces of Cinnamon, Cloves and Star Anise to cooker
• Add the cleaned Cowpeas to cooker
• Add required salt, close the lid and pressure-cook for about 10 minutes

Alternately, you can soak the Cowpeas in water overnight. This will take about five minutes to pressure-cook

• 2 Medium sized Onions
• 3 Tomatoes
• A piece of Ginger
• 4 to 5 Garlic cloves
• 3 Green chillies
• Bunch of Curry leaves

• Chop the onions, remove ginger skin and shuck garlic
• Add all these ingredients together in a mixer grinder and make a fine paste

• Chop tomatoes and transfer to a mixer grinder

Add the following spices to the tomato pieces

• One teaspoon of Red Chilli Powder
• One teaspoon of Coriander powder
• One teaspoon of Cumin seed powder
• Half teaspoon of Fennel seed powder
• Half teaspoon of Turmeric powder
• Half a teaspoon of Asafoetida Powder

• Make a fine paste of all these ingredients with tomatoes and transfer to bowl
• There is lot of this paste sticking to the sides of the mixer grinder
• Wash it with clean water and add to the tomato paste in the bowl

• Place a frying pan on stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Split Green chillies in halves and keep ready
• When the oil is heated add curry leaves and then immediately add split green chillies
• Stir-fry for about half a minute

• Now add the Onion paste to the pan and cook till raw smell disappears
• Add the tomato paste with spices, mix well and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes

By this time, the pressure in the cooker might has come down

• Open the lid and add the pressure-cooked Cowpeas to the pan. Add the water also used for pressure cooking to the mix
• We have already added salt in the pressure cooker. Check the mix for salt and add if required
• Place a lid on the pan and cook for another five minutes or till the mix reaches the required consistency
• Remove from pan to a serving dish. Garnish with Coriander leaves

This tasty and spicy Cowpeas Curry can be served with Rice Chapatis and Bread