This Curry Gungo Peas is a delicious Jamaican inspired vegan dish that is healthy, hearty and full of flavour. The peas are combined with a medley of low fat nutritional vegetables along with some butternut squash noodles. A great way to familarise yourself with some island flare.
I think it's about time that I treated you guys to another delicious, warm and hearty Jamaican inspired meal with bold Caribbean flavours.
This gungo pea recipe is definitely a seasonal delight, enjoy it during the Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter it really doesn't matter because the you will love it regardless of the time of year.
What are gungo peas?
Gungo peas also known as pigeon peas, red gram and tur are another bean that comes from the legume family.
This legume is consumed quite largely in the Caribbean, Central/ Latin America and Africa. It is a dietary staple for the aforementioned regions.
Gungo peas vary in colour from green, yellow (dried split peas) and brown. The young peas are fresh, green and referred to as immature.
On the other hand, the mature peas tend to be a light brown colour and dried.
Jamaicans are more partial to using the light brown peas (especially the dried ones) as opposed using them in there young state. A good example of it's use is this Gungo Peas Soup.
It's also used to make Gungo peas and rice which is like the sister version of the infamous Jamaican Rice and Peas.
Other Islands like Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago refer to them as pigeon peas. It's used in the infamous Pelau which is the unofficial national dish consisting of meat, chicken, coconut and rice cooked up in herbs and spices.
The Spanish speaking islands like Puerto Rico make Arroz Con Gandules or Moro de Guandules as it is known as in the Dominican Republic use green pigeon peas and rice.
Dried vs canned gungo peas
I'm always a huge supporter of using dried peas however, if you are pressed for time use canned beans. You will need about 2 cans of peas to make the recipe.
If you want to use dried peas you can cook them;
- Instant pot: Manual, high pressure for 25 minutes
- Stovetop: Simmered on low/medium heat for roughly an hour (soaked overnight)
How to make curry gungo peas
- Skip to step 3 if you aren't making the noodles. Peel the butternut squash and cut off the bulbous end (you won't be needing that bit).
- Cut the other end of the butternut in half.
- Fix each piece onto the spiraliser and turn to create noodles.
- On medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, scallion and ginger until soft and translucent.
- Add the carrots, mushroom, cho cho and bell peppers, stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Season the vegetables with the tomato paste, curry powder, paprika, thyme, chilli/scotch bonnet, black pepper and pink salt.
- Add the gungo peas and pour in the coconut milk.
- Bring the pan to a rolling boil then reduce, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the curry thickens.
- As the curry is cooking bring a pan of water to the boil and add the butternut squash noodles.
- Add a splash of oil to the pan and additional mild seasoning - pink salt, ground onion/pepper etc..
- Cook the noodles for 10 minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Once cooked, drain off the noodles and serve with the curry.
Where can you buy gungo peas?
Don't be alarmed if you have never heard of this legume before, you can purchase it from many places that have a high number of Afro-Caribbean or Asian residents.
What if I cannot source any butternut squash noodles?
Yes, if you don't own a julienne peeler or spiraliser some supermarkets do stock pre-made butternut squash noodles.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yes, I would advise portioning the curry into freezer friendly bowls first of all.
Can you make the recipe ahead of time?
It's perfectly fine to prep the vegetables (cut/chop/slice) the night before.
You can spiralise the noodles too to save even more time.
Is there a substitute for gungo peas if I cannot get hold of them?
- Black eyed peas
- Rose coco beans
- Kidney beans
- Pinto beans
Notes and tips
- If you cannot find cho cho, chayote or a christophine, zucchini/courgettes are a viable substitute. I have used it many times with no problems.
- For the Curry powder use my Homemade Jamaican Curry Powder if you want to.
- You can leave the curry to simmer for longer than the recommended time if you want the vegetables and peas to break down.
- Gungo peas are the mature version of pigeon peas, either will work for the recipe!
- I highly recommend using a spiraliser if you are making your own noodles with butternut squash
- Feel free to chop/slice and/or peel any vegetables ahead of time to make the preparation quicker.
- If you are using canned peas, make sure they are in water only and not salt water due to the high levels of sodium.
- Dried peas can be cooked ahead of time in a pressure/cooker to save time.
Drink recipes you may like
- Cinnamon Orange Cold Brew Tea
- Healthy Chocolate Smoothie
- Jamaican Carrot Juice
- Jamaican Ginger Beer
- Sea Moss Drink
- Guinep Juice
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Jamaican Curry Gungo Peas (Curry Pigeon Peas)
Ingredients
- 1 pack of butternut squash noodles or spiralise 1 butternut into noodles (see post)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 scallion sliced
- 1 inch of ginger grated
- 1 large carrot chopped
- ½ cup of mushroom (48g) halved (optional)
- 1 cho cho christophene/chayote peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 2 tablespoon of tomato puree (32g)
- 2 tablespoon of curry powder (12g) see post for link
- 1 teaspoon paprika (2g)
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 14 oz of coconut milk (400ml)
- 2 can of gungo peas (626g)drained (or use 1½ cups of cooked gungo peas)
- ¼ scotch bonnet (or to spice preference) or ¼ of chilli flakes/powder
- 1 teaspoon of pink salt (6g) use more if desired (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (2g)
Instructions
- Skip to step 3 if you aren't making the noodles. Peel the butternut squash and cut off the bulbous end (you won't be needing that bit).
- Cut the other end of the butternut squash in half.
- Fix each piece onto the spiraliser and turn to create noodles.
- On medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onion, garlic, scallion and ginger until soft and translucent.
- Add the carrots, mushroom, cho cho and bell peppers, stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Season the vegetables with the tomato paste, curry powder, paprika, thyme, chilli/scotch bonnet, black pepper and pink salt.
- Add the gungo peas and pour in the coconut milk.
- Bring the pan to a rolling boil then reduce, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the curry thickens.
- As the curry is cooking bring a pan of water to the boil and add the butternut squash noodles.
- Add a splash of oil to the pan and additional mild seasoning - pink salt, ground onion/pepper etc..
- Cook the noodles for 10 minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Once cooked, drain off the noodles and serve with the curry (remember to taste test and adjust seasoning i.e pink salt, black pepper etc.. accordingly).
Notes
- If you cannot find cho cho, chayote or a christophine, zucchini/courgettes are a viable substitute. I have used it many times with no problems.
- For the Curry powder use my Homemade Jamaican Curry Powder if you want to.
- Gungo peas are the mature version of pigeon peas, either will work for the recipe!
- You can leave the curry to simmer for longer than the recommended time if you want the vegetables and peas to break down.
- I highly recommend using a spiraliser if you making your own noodles with butternut squash
- Feel free to chop/slice and/or peel any vegetables ahead of time to make the preparation quicker.
- If you are using canned peas, make sure they are in water only and not salt water due to the high levels of sodium.
- Dried peas can be cooked ahead of time in a pressure/cooker to save time.
Nutrition
Audrey says
This was a colorful, flavorful and healthy dish.My whole family loved it . It was easy to make and I served it on a bed of steamed butternut cubes. Didn’t have the time to do the noodles ...... maybe next time
Charla says
Hi Audrey. No problem! Adjust as required. I'm just so glad that the whole family loved it.
Sonky Davies says
I am definately going to have a go and cook this dish very soon sounds so tasty!
Charla says
Awesome! I hope you like it
Alyssa says
This was delicious! I didn't have pigeon peas, so I ended up using lentils. I also used spaghetti squash instead of butternut squash. I was concerned the color wouldn't come out right because I have messed up coconut milk sauces before (where it turned out white instead of brown), but your instructions made it easy to get the color right. It was so good! I will definitely be making this again!
Charla says
Thanks for the feedback Alyssa. I know Caribbean recipes can be tricky for some so I always try to make the instructions are clear as possible. I hope you try some more of my recipes when you can.
Madeline says
It was yummy. We like curry a little sweet and not too hot. I added a teaspoon of date sugar to the peas a a pinch of cayenne ( no scotch bonnets) . I used zucchini, cauliflower and carrots for the vegetable.
I used the leftover coconut milk to to make some rice to go with the peas and vegetables!
Janine Elgin Martin says
Wow!
Got a sweat on, but lovely and delicious!
Used dried pigeon Peas and courgette.
Hubby wants more in a few days x x x
Thank You Charla.
J9 xxx
Charla says
Loving the feedback and thank you Janine.
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
What a delish vegan recipe!! I've been feeling for curry so putting this on the list!
Charla says
Thanks Jessica 😉
Immaculate says
OH WOW! You really know how to take healthy ingredients and make it into a scrumptious dish Charla. I would totally eat this any day of the week. Thanks for the shout out!!
Charla says
You're welcome Imma. That curry powder is a keeper for sure and thanks for the compliment.
Farida says
lovely colors , and full of flavors 🙂 really lovely 🙂
Charla says
Thank you!
Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget says
I think pigeon peas are so under-utilized! This sounds fantastic!
Charla says
Rebekah, I totally agree that's why I try to incorporate them as a good source of protein.
Erika says
My husband is a foodie and only eats food that tastes amazing. Doesn’t care about health. He ate two bowls of this and raved about it—WOW!!
Charla says
Yay! No judgement here Erika, I'm so glad to hear that Hubby enjoyed this curry, thanks for the positive feedback.
Mark, CompassandFork says
That's a really great looking dish. Great colors.
Charla says
Thank you.
Tracy says
I have been on the biggest pea kick lately! I'll have to add this to my list for this week!
Charla says
Awesome, go for it!
Kathy Hester says
Pigeon peas are a favorite of mine and your recipe sounds amazing. I can't wait to try it!
Charla says
Yay! I hope you enjoy it.
Whitney says
This looks incredibly delicious. Yep, going on the menu for next week. Where would I find cho cho though?
Charla says
Thanks Whit, you can purchase cho cho from any African Caribbean or Asian grocery store. If you cannot locate any feel free to use courgette/zucchini instead as that would be a good replica.