Curried Black-Eyed Peas with Dried Mushrooms

It's been a while since I've cooked a dish with black-eyed peas, so the other day I flipped through some recipes for a curry dish featuring this delicate bean which originated in Africa. I couldn't find anything that quite captured the taste I was looking for, but my determination inspired me to make up my own recipe. I've used dried wild mushrooms here, but fresh mushrooms can be used instead of or in addition to the dried ones — just put them in when you add the cooked beans.

Curried Black-Eyed Peas with Dried Mushrooms

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Published on July 24, 2007 Vibrant, zesty and earthy black-eyed pea curry with dried mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups dried black-eyed peas (3 1/2 cups cooked or 2 15 oz cans) 1/2 oz (14 g) dried wild mushrooms 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil 1-inch piece cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 onion, finely chopped 2 to 3 fresh chilies, seeded and finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 2 medium tomatoes, diced juice from 1 lemon 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh cracked black pepper, to taste pinch of garam masala handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped Instructions: Rinse the black-eyed peas and soak in several inches of water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a large saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes or until tender. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Set aside. Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms for 20 to 30 minutes in warm water. Drain, squeezing out excess liquid from the mushrooms. In a large saucepan, heat the ghee, butter or oil over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick and stir for a few seconds. Add the onion and stir for 5 minutes or until the onion begins to brown. Toss in the chilies, garlic, ginger and mushrooms, and continue to stir for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and cayenne, stir for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are reduce to a thick sauce, adding a ladleful of the reserved cooking liquid as needed if the sauce becomes too dry. Now stir in the beans, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, again adding a ladleful of reserved cooking liquid if the curry becomes too dry. Add a pinch of garam masala near the end of the cooking time, stir in the fresh parsley, and serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings