Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Curry (Lobia Masala)
Feb 28, 2019, Updated Jan 18, 2020
Simple Indian style Black Eyed Pea Curry made in the Instant Pot! This vegan and gluten-free curry is a breeze to make with pre-made onion tomato masala!
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With practically no prep involved, this Indian style Black Eyed Pea Curry is a breeze to make using my frozen onion tomato masala in the Instant Pot!
Vegan and gluten-free, I love this curry with rice!
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Ever since I posted my frozen onion tomato masala recipe, I have been getting so many requests on posting more recipes using the masala.
I have already shared two recipes before- the kale garlic dal and aloo baingan and now here’s the third one.
A super simple Black Eyed Pea Curry made the Indian way!
We call black eyed pea as “lobia”, Sarvesh is punjabi and so he calls it “rongi”.
In India, black eyed peas are usually cooked as a curry, at least in north India. I remember mom making a simple lobia masala sometimes when we got tired of the dal.
This is like a very basic everyday Indian recipe, there are no fancy ingredients here.
Sometimes when I post these simple curries, I hear back from some people that oh the curry was thin or not creamy enough. The Indian restaurants in the western world have painted such a wrong picture of India food so I get where those comments come from.
Basic everyday Indian food is like this- super simple and yes curry is thin. The addition of butter, cream, cashews etc. is done for special dishes. We do not each such rich curries like paneer tikka masala or butter paneer everyday.
At least, my mom made them only for special occasions. For everyday we ate curries like this black eyed pea curry.
This Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Curry
✓ is vegan and gluten-free
✓ perfect meal for busy days since there’s no prep involved
✓ uses frozen onion tomato masala for easy dinner
✓ is healthy and nutritious
I did soak my black eyed peas for 2 to 3 hours before using in the recipe. If you don’t have time, it’s okay you may skip the soaking part. However if you can, do soak the beans. It’s just better for digestion.
This is the kind of meal you can make in no time after you are coming back from a vacation or after you had a long day at work.
Once you have the onion masala ready, it’s only about putting everything together in the pot. I used 1 cup of frozen masala here.
Since I measure and store 1/4 cup of masala in each cube, it’s super easy to take it out and add to the pot. No guess work! That’s why it’s so important to freeze in individual portions.
You can read more about the onion tomato masala HERE. I also discuss how I store it, so do check out that post if you plan to the make the masala and freeze it.
The masala already has onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and some basic spices in it. So all I needed to add was some cumin seeds and a little bit of extra garam masala and red chili powder.
That’s it, I didn’t add any other spices. If you are following a no-oil diet, you can even skip the oil and just dump everything in the pot and pressure cook.
This masala comes in so handy on busy days. I hope you guys find this useful.
And I promise to share more recipes using the frozen onion tomato masala. Stay tuned!
Method
*Soak the black eyed pea in 3 cups water for 2-3 hours. This step is optional, but recommended.
1- Press the saute button on the instant pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
2- Then add 1 cup of the frozen onion tomato masala. I used 4 cubes (I freeze in individual portions of 1/4 cup masala per cube in these OXO Ice Cube Trays).
3-Â Add water, 1.5 to 2 cups, depending on how thick or thin you want your curry. I add 2 cups since it also thickens as it cools down.
4- Add the red chili powder, garam masala and salt.
5- Add the black eyed pea and stir.
6- Close the pot with its lid. Press the pressure cook or manual button and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes (ignore the 25 min display picture please). Let the pressure release naturally.
7- Open the lid and stir the curry. Add in the cilantro.
8- Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
Enjoy this black eyed pea curry with rice or quinoa!
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Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Curry (Lobia Masala)
Ingredients
- 1 cup black eyed peas (lobia) dried, 200 grams, soaked for 2 to 3 hours, soaking is optional but I recommend it
- 2 teaspoons oil 10 ml, I used avocado oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup onion tomato masala frozen
- 1.5-2 cups water 12-16 oz, depending on how thin you want the curry
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- cilantro for garnish
- small lemon juice of
Instructions
- Soak the black eyed pea in 3 cups water for 2-3 hours. This step is optional, but recommended.
- Press the saute button on the instant pot. Once it displays hot, add the oil and then add the bay leaf and cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
- Then add 1 cup of the frozen onion tomato masala. I used 4 cubes (I freeze in individual portions of 1/4 cup masala per cube in these OXO Ice Cube Trays).
- Add water, 1.5 to 2 cups, depending on how thick or thin you want your curry. I add 2 cups since it also thickens as it cools down.
- Add the red chili powder, garam masala and salt.
- Add the black eyed pea and stir.
- Close the pot with its lid. Press the pressure cook or manual button and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and stir the curry. Add in the cilantro. Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
- Enjoy this black eyed pea curry with rice or quinoa!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Manali
If I don’t have the masala frozen and want to use fresh do I need to cook down the masala in the instant pot to get rid of the raw flavour or will it cook down in the instant pot in entirety?
Thanks in advance
Hi Kavita, you will need to cook down the onions to get rid of the raw smell.
Thank you so much! x
hi, how would i adjust cooking time if I used canned black eyed beans already cooked?
we love your recipes 🙂 Thanks!
yes since canned beans are already cooked, you can do just 5 minutes of high pressure
Hi Manali,
Love your site!
My son is very allergic to tomatoes and all citrus fruits (lemons etc). So I ma listed to Kokam, Amchur or Tamarind as a souring agent. Can you suggest how to replace tomatoes, esp in Dals &/ or curries with these in the instant pot. (For makhani Dal I use a tablespoon or two of full fat greek yogurt just before serving and heat without letting it come to a boil)
As well, can one just freeze a spiced onion ginger garlic sautéed and pureed paste without the tomatoes?
Many thanks in advance
Nita
definitely you can freeze the masala without tomatoes! You can replace tomatoes with lauki (bottle gourd), pumpkin – they will give similar texture. And for the tang yes use tamarind!
Excellent and incredibly easy using the onion masala frozen ahead of time!
Manali, thanks so much for this recipe! I love all he recipes connected to that onion tomato masala! Can I follow the same proportions etc for other beans? Like dry kidney beans and garbanzo beans? Would I need to change the spices? This getting stuck at home thing needs as much variety as I can give it:) We also have your book, and make that Butter paneer often. Thanks a ton, Manali!!
Aruna
Hi Aruna, No for chickpeas I would follow same except maybe add chole masala if you have on hand to bring in some variety? Cook for 20-25 minutes on high pressure and should be good!
Simple and yummy. I love it.
Hi,
Is there a pressure cooker version of this recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Upasana, I don’t have one. But follow the same steps, and pressure cook for 2 whistles on high heat and then lower the heat and cook for 10-12 more minutes (this is when the lobia has been soaked for 4 hours at least).
Thank you
Oh, what a wonderful taste!
Thanks for sharing your cuisine with all the readers.
Love from Germany
Hi Manali,
I made this recipe today and the taste came out really good. I felt the Black eyed peas are softer than I usually make. Can I reduce the cook time by few mins? If yes how many mins less?
Thanks,
Shree
yes do 15 mins and see
Hi
After adding the masala cubes, do you wait for it to melt completely or just throw in the spices and peas and close the IP?
Thanks
Looking at the pics, I don’t think we need to wait, right?
no wait!