PRESSURE COOKER LOBIA MASALA

Jump to Recipe                  Print Recipe 

Pressure Cooker Lobia masala is a one-pot Black Eyed Peas Indian curry cooked in an onion-tomato gravy infused with aromatic spices, perfect to enjoy with flat breads or rice!

Even with dry unsoaked beans, you can still make this delicious lobia masala curry in under an hour using your stove top pressure cooker or electric Instant Pot!

This one has been in my draft inbox for a long time. With both my sons in different parts of the world, our days are spent flitting between their 2 houses and ours!

Being a food blogger who loves to share my kitchen adventures and daily cooking with all of you, it has been a mind-spinning adventure, lugging some of my food props all around!

But the creative monster in me finds some way to try to present and click my dishes as aesthetically as possible. You all may have noticed that sometimes the background, lighting and props are different.

This dish is one of my favorite to make when I need some protein with my rice besides using dals.

Comes out absolutely delicious, quick to make and comforting too; goes well with rice or rotis!

PRESSURE COOKER LOBIA MASALA OR BLACK EYED PEAS CURRY:

Lobia masala curry is one of those dishes I whipped up in a jiffy during my last stay in India.

I love quick and easy curries that I can make with minimal effort, letting me attend to my other hobbies and chores. That is when my humble, trusted pressure cooker comes in handy.

Black eyed peas is one my favorite legumes which cooks to a soft and tender texture even without any overnight soaking; handy isn’t it?

I have come across many recipes online that emphasize on soaking them overnight, but I have never done so.

I just boil the peas for about 5 minutes in plenty of water and then soak for just 20-30 minutes (sometimes, I have skipped this step too!).

Then I pressure cook on high for 5 to 6 whistles or for 15 to 20 minutes on low after the first whistle in my trusted Indian pressure cooker.

With my love for electric Instant Pots and if my stove top pressure cooker is being used to make some other dish, I make this in my  instant pot too!

I get so busy sometimes that planning a meal is many a time a last minute affair and lobia has come to my rescue as a last minute protein component in many of my daily meals.

With just that and some rice and salad, my meal is one comforting and delicious one!

With ingredients everyone has in their pantry like onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, haldi, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder etc. making this simple but sumptuous Indian curry is a breeze!

HOW DID I MAKE THIS

I blended some tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger to a fine paste and then sautéed them with some basic spices before adding the lobia/black eyed peas along with water and salt.

Some hands-off time in a pressure cooker (stove top one or an electric instant pot) and you have a delicious, Indian spiced curry/gravy to savor with some steamed rice or maybe any of your favorite breads (homemade or even store bought) to feast on!

We savored our quick and delicious meal with some hot, hot dill parathas (just mixed in chopped dill in my paratha dough) and sliced cucumbers!

Don’t you love how simple it is and how delicious it looks? My hubby loved it too!

Like I said earlier, all you will need are some simple common pantry ingredients which I am sure if you love Indian food will have and 30 minutes to make this!

Peep into some more similar made-in-a-jiffy dishes from my blog you may like:

• One-Pot Chana Masala (Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot)
• One-Pot Sambar Sadam (Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot)
• Rajma Masala (Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot)

 A QUICK VIEW OF THIS EASY-PEASY DISH:

STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE ONE-POT PRESSURE COOKER LOBIA MASALA/BLACK EYED PEAS  CURRY:

Wash and drain lobia; set aside. If you have time to soak, do this overnight or if shorter on time, just give it a boil and let soak until cooking time or 15-30 minutes if you have the time.

If you are making it as a last minute dish, then wash and soak in some water while you prep your other ingredients and then pressure cook for 5 more minutes! That is it!

TO MAKE THE ONION PASTE:

In a blender jar, make a fine paste of onions, tomatoes, green chilies, ginger and garlic with a little water if needed.

MAKING LOBIA MASALA CURRY:

TO MAKE IN A STOVE TOP PRESSURE COOKER:

Heat a pressure pan and once hot, add oil.

Stir in 1 tsp whole jeera and 1 bay leaf; sauté for a few seconds to aromatize/flavor the oil.

Add the blended onion paste.

Sprinkle the dry spice powders: coriander, cumin, hing, turmeric, garam masala powder and red chili powder. Mix well to combine.

Sauté on medium heat, stirring continuously until the oil separates.

Add lobia/black eyed peas along with 2 cups of water. Stir in salt to taste.

Close the pressure pan and cook for 4-5 whistles on medium high or for 15 minutes on low after first whistle (or until they are soft and tender).

Once the pressure drops, adjust seasonings and consistency of curry.

FOR INSTANT POT:

Turn the instant pot to sauté mode, add oil and once it says “hot”, add the jeera and bay leaf.

Stir in the onion paste along with the dry spice powders and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil separates.

Add the soaked lobia/black eyed peas along with 2 cups water and salt to taste. Stir well.

Cancel the sauté mode. Close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.

Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, press cancel button and let pressure release naturally (NPR).

Mix well, adjust consistency and seasonings if needed.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Serve hot with rotis, parathas, naan or any Indian flat bread! I love to enjoy it with some hot, steamed rice too!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Do try this, my foodie friends and if you do, would love to hear or about it or see your version.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments in the box below (don’t forget to rate the recipe) and/or share your version on Instagram (tagging me @curryandvanilla16) or on my Facebook page here.

Now, time to save and/or print:

5 from 4 votes

Print

PRESSURE COOKER LOBIA (BLACK EYED PEAS) MASALA RECIPE

Pressure Cooker Lobia masala, a one-pot black Eyed Peas curry cooked in an onion-tomato gravy infused with aromatic spices, perfect to enjoy with flat breads or rice!

Course Indian, Main Course, vegetarian

Cuisine North Indian

Keyword black eyed peas, curry, Instant Pot, lobia, Pressure Cooker

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Author Vanitha

Ingredients

• 1 cup lobia/black-eyed peas
• FOR THE ONION PASTE:
• 1 small onion cubed
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
• ½ inch ginger chopped
• 1 green chili slit

DRY SPICES:

• 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp jeera/cumin powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp hing/asafetida powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil

FOR GARNISH:

• Freshly chopped coriander or cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Wash and drain 1 cup lobia/black eyed peas; set aside. If you have time to soak, do this overnight or if shorter on time, just give it a boil and let soak until cooking time (about 30 minutes). I have soaked for 30 minutes in hot water.

   You may cook directly after washing and draining; just add 5 more minutes to the pressure cooking time.

TO MAKE THE ONION PASTE:

1. In a blender jar, make a fine paste of 1 small onios, 1 small tomatoe, 1 green chilie, 1/2 inch ginger and 2 large cloves garlic with a little water if needed.

MAKING LOBIA MASALA CURRY:

TO MAKE IN A PRESSURE COOKER:

1. Heat a pressure pan and once hot, add 2 tablespoons oil.

2. Stir in 1 teaspoon whole jeera and 1 bay leaf; sauté for a few seconds to aromatize the oil.

3. Add the blended onion paste.

4. Sprinkle the dry spice powders: 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon hing/asafetida, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powders. Mix well to combine.

5. Sauté on medium heat, stirring continuously until the oil separates.

6. Add lobia/black eyed peas along with 2 cups of water. Stir in salt to taste.

7. Close the pressure pan and cook for 4-5 whistles or for 15 minutes after first whistle (or until they are soft and tender).
8. Once the pressure drops, adjust seasonings and consistency of curry.

FOR INSTANT POT:

1. Turn the instant pot to sauté mode, add oil and once it says “hot”, add 1 teaspoon jeera and 1 bay leaf.

2. Stir in the onion paste along with the dry spice powders (1 1/2 tbsp coriander, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp haldi and 1/4 tsp hing powders) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil separates.

3. Add the 1 cup soaked lobia/black eyed peas along with 2 cups water and salt to taste. Stir well.

4. Cancel the sauté mode. Close the instant pot lid with vent in sealing position.
5. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, press cancel button and let pressure release naturally (NPR).
7. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot with rotis, parathas, naan or any Indian flat bread! I love to enjoy it with some hot, steamed rice too!
8. Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Recipe Notes

Adjust spices according to personal preference and taste.

If unable to soak overnight, soak enough just until you prep the other ingredients and then pressure cook 5 minutes more.

Can be enjoyed thick or thick so adjust consistency by adding more water and heating up to a boil or simmer before serving.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

PIN here for later:

Join the party at Angie's FiestaFriday along with Jhuls @thenotsocreativecook.

If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page 

For more such easy and delicious recipes,  follow me on:

Facebook @ curryandvanilla

Pinterest @ curryandvanilla

Instagram @ curryandvanilla16

Twitter @ curryandvanilla

Google Plus  @ Vanitha Bhat

Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!