Black Eyed Peas Curry (Stovetop or Instant Pot)

If you love legumes then you definitely have to try this curry dish. A Caribbean style curry that's so flavoursome and easy to prepare, you can even whip up in batches making it ideal to serve on busy weeknights. You can make this tasty dish using an instant pot or the stove top, so everyone is a winner.

Growing up Caribbean meant eating copious amounts of legumes and pulses so if you're looking for a Caribbean style curry that's full of flavour, vegan and not difficult to put together then this black eyed peas curry is for you.

Contrary to the name black eyed peas, are actually legumes and not garden peas. In the Caribbean most English speaking islands prefer to "beans" as "peas" which can sometimes cause confusion.

However, in this instance this legumes is often referred to as a peas by default.

The name denotes from having a creamy coloured exterior with a black spec which resembles an eye.

You can find recipes from Trinidad and Tobago such as Pelau rice or Accra which is a type of fritter eaten in the Caribbean and West Africa which is commonly includes black eyed peas for some variations.

I made this black eyed curry on a regular basis before I finally thought it was good enough to share. Behind the scenes there was plenty of trial and error of ingredients.

It was a case of achieving the correct quantity so the right notes could really compliment each other. Now I'm happy and confident enough to reveal this delicious one pot/pan meal which can be made in bulk in 30 minutes.

Dried vs cooks peas - which one?

It's really a matter of convenience and what works best for your lifestyle. I believe there are pro's and cons for both sides of the spectrum. The most obvious thing to note is that dried beans can be purchased in a large quantity for a cheap cost and last for a long time.

I totally get the advantages of buying dried beans, it's cheap, cheerful and last for quite some time BUT.... because dried beans generally need soaking and require cooking before hand more often then not, this can deter people from preparing a meal that uses dried beans.

Canned legumes are the most obvious choice if you're pushed for time or simply don't want to be in the kitchen for too long. I totally get it, been there myself!

However, most canned beans are more often then not loaded with additional levels of sodium and can also end up being more costly.

Ingredients you will need

Instant pot version

For the instant pot version you will need 1 ½ cups of dried peas (soaked for several hours or overnight)

• Switch your instant pot on and select the "saute" button
• Add your oil
• Proceed to saute the base ingredients - onion, garlic, scallion and ginger, curry, tomato and thyme for 1 minute.
• Then fold in your bell peppers and spices.
• Cancel the saute option so the ingredients are now cooking using only the residual heat.
• Finally mix in the 1 ½ cups of black eyed peas,  scotch bonnet and coconut milk.
• Put the lid on and lock your instant pot then turn the valve knob to "sealing".
• Activate the instant pot by selecting the "bean/chili" button (this should be pre-set to 30 minutes)
• The pot will take several minutes to reach pressure.
• Once the timer is up, leave the pot to do a natural release (should take about 10 minutes) then switch the knob to "venting" to release any excess steam.
• Remove lid and serve

How to make black eye peas curry (Stove top version)

Saute the base ingredients - onion, scallion, ginger, garlic until fragrant

Add you thyme and curry powder to the sauteed ingredients

Add your tomatoes, black eyed peas, spices, scotch bonnet and then finally your coconut milk before bringing to the boil and simmer.

I don't like coconut milk, can I use an alternative?

• Use water instead of coconut (same measurements)
• Vegetable stock (same measurements)
• Dairy free yoghurt (option)(use about 1 cup mix with 1 cup water)

Is this recipe freezer friendly?

Yes, this recipe freezes well but do make sure to store any leftovers in a freezer friendly container.

Notes and tips

• If you want to save on time in the future you can cook some black eyed peas in bulk and simply use them at your leisure.
• If you are using dried legumes it is always advisable to soak them for several hours or overnight if possible
• This recipe works will with some roti, Brown rice vegetables or even Cauliflower Rice or Ochro Rice
• If you don't like heat then simply omit the scotch bonnet pepper.
• Use habanero pepper or chilli if you can't get hold of scotch bonnet.
• Feel free to use dried thyme instead of fresh if you want to.
• See the recipe post entitled "instant pot version" for the that version of the recipe.

Other legume recipes to try

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