Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Indian Spices

With sweltering weather hitting much of the Western hemisphere, more salads are served up on kitchen and patio tables. Spice it up is my motto, and so I was inspired to make an earthy Indian-style black-eyed pea salad with a hot, tart and tangy seasoning that required very little prep and cooking time. While the peas are boiling, chop up the ingredients needed and measure out the spices. It all comes together in no time at all once the black-eyes have cooled a bit.

I served the salad up in some radicchio leaves along with some lightly toasted crusty bread topped with some goat cheese and fresh dill and then quickly broiled for a few minutes. An Indian flat bread would be a nice addition to the meal, or a simple rice dish such as cracked black pepper rice.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Indian Spices

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from 1,000 Indian Recipes Cuisine: Indian Published on July 17, 2013 Simple summer salad of earthy and nutty flavored black-eyed peas tossed with a hot, tart and tangy blend of Indian spices Print this recipe Black-eyed peas: 1 cup dried black-eyed peas 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon sea salt Salad: 1 large tomato, partially seeded and diced 4 green onions, trimmed and chopped 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated or minced 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 1 green or red chili, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon chat masala juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons) Seasoning: 1 tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon rock salt (optional) To serve: radicchio leaves or mixed greens Instructions: Rinse the black-eyed peas and soak in enough water to cover for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a medium saucepan. Pour in 1 3/4 cups of water and add the turmeric and sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender but not falling apart — about 45 minutes. Add more water as necessary. The water should evaporate, but if not, drain and let the peas cool. Transfer the cooked peas to a large bowl and add the tomato, green onions, ginger, mint, chili, chat masala and the lime juice. Stir well to combine. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, toss in the cumin seeds and stir for 1 minute. Add the chili powder, ground cumin, paprika and rock salt if using, and stir for another 30 seconds. Stir the spices into the salad. Taste for seasoning and serve at room temperature or chilled in radicchio leaves or over mixed greens, sprinkled with a little chat masala if desired, along with some rice or some crusty bread. Makes 4 servings

More black-eyed pea dishes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Black-Eyed Pea Patties with Chili Sauce
Indian Black-Eyed Peas
Black-Eyed Peas with Potatoes and Tamarind
Curried Black-Eyed Peas