Black-eyed beans (lobia): how to cook them, plus lobia masala

Black-eyed beans are small, creamy-white beans with a black spot where the seed was attached to the pod. In Hindi they are lobia or chawli, and in Polish "fasola czarne oczko" ("black eye bean"). They cook faster than most dried beans, have a mild, slightly earthy taste and are a staple in India, West Africa and the southern United States.

What black-eyed beans are

Botanically, black-eyed beans are a variety of cowpea, a plant closer to mung beans than to the large white Polish Jaś bean. They are usually sold dried. The beans are kidney-shaped and smooth, with the typical black "eye".

Cooked, they are creamy inside but hold their shape. They do not break down as fast as lentils, and they are softer than chickpeas.

Names to look for:

• fasola czarne oczko, czarne oczko: Polish,
• black eyed beans, black eye beans, black-eyed peas: English,
• lobia, chawli: in Indian cooking.

How to cook black-eyed beans

You can cook black-eyed beans with or without soaking.

With soaking (faster and more even):

1. Pick over the beans and rinse them.
2. Cover with three times their volume of cold water and leave for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
3. Drain, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil.
4. Simmer, usually for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beans are soft. Add salt at the end.

Without soaking: cook longer, usually about an hour. Check the softness every few minutes towards the end.

In a pressure cooker: soaked beans need only a few minutes under pressure. The time depends on the cooker, so start short and cook further if needed.

As with all dried beans, always cook black-eyed beans until fully soft. You can freeze cooked beans in portions with a little of the cooking water.

Recipe: lobia masala

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 cup dried black-eyed beans, soaked and cooked,
• 2 tablespoons oil or ghee,
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
• 1 onion, chopped,
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste,
• 2 tomatoes, blended,
• ½ teaspoon turmeric,
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander,
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder,
• ½ teaspoon garam masala,
• salt, fresh coriander, lemon juice.

Method:

1. Fry the cumin in the oil until it sizzles. Add the onion and fry until golden.
2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute.
3. Add the turmeric, coriander and chilli. Add the tomatoes and fry until the sauce thickens.
4. Add the cooked beans and a glass of the cooking water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Mash a few beans with a spoon to thicken the sauce.
6. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander. Finish with lemon juice and serve with rice or roti.

Black-eyed beans in other cuisines

In West Africa, soaked and ground black-eyed beans become akara, fried fritters, and moi moi, a steamed bean pudding. In the southern United States the beans are cooked with rice in Hoppin' John.

What to use instead of black-eyed beans

In a curry, mung beans, adzuki beans or small white beans work well. Chickpeas fit too, but they are firmer and take longer to cook.

Where to buy black-eyed beans in Poland

At Little India you can buy black eye beans TRS 2 kg, a smaller pack of black eye beans TRS 1 kg and black-eyed beans AliBaba 500 g. Other kinds are in the beans category. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships orders across Poland.

If you cook Indian pulses, read also about the types of dal and about butter beans in Poland.