Lobia curry
Preparation Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
35 minutes
Difficulty Level
moderate
Meal Type
Lunch
Serves 4
Key Ingredients
- Lobia (black eyed peas)
About This Recipe
In Punjab, lobia is the dal of roti nights: black eyed peas simmered in an onion-tomato masala sharpened with mustard oil, ginger, garlic and whole red chillies, thick enough to scoop up with a phulka. Dhabas cook it long and slow; home kitchens reach for the pressure cooker and get the same pot in far less time.
This version follows the home method with one small change: the soaked beans go into the pressure cooker together with the masala, so the gravy cooks in the flavour of the beans instead of meeting them only at the end. One pot carries the dish from tempering to table, and the beans hold their shape while the gravy thickens around them.
Lobia is soaked for 6 to 8 hours or overnight before cooking; our page on soaking lobia has the full method. Mustard oil sets the Punjabi taste, and groundnut oil stands in with a gentler result. Names, nutrition and the other recipes for the bean are on our lobia page.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
For the curry
- Lobia (black eyed peas) — 1 cup
- Water — 4 cups
- Onion, finely chopped — 1 piece
- Tomatoes, finely chopped — 2 pieces
- Ginger, grated — 1 tbsp
- Garlic, crushed — 6 nos
Spices
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp
- Whole dried red chillies — 2 pieces
- Turmeric Powder — 1/2 tsp
- Coriander Powder — 1 tbsp
- Garam Masala — 1/2 tsp
- Salt — 1 tsp
For the tempering
- Mustard Oil — 2 tbsp
To serve
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped — 2 tbsp
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Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with phulkas or tandoori roti and a side of chopped onion and lemon. Over plain rice it eats like a rich dal; a bowl of curd and some sliced cucumber round out the plate. Kept in the fridge, leftover curry is good for up to two days; reheat it with a splash of water. For the same beans in a one-pot rice dish, try the lobia khichdi recipe.
Tips for Cooking Lobia curry
Heat the mustard oil to a light smoke and let it settle before the cumin goes in; the oil loses its raw bite and the curry tastes smoother. Brown the onions properly, since their colour carries the gravy. After the first whistle, drop the flame to low; high heat can catch the bottom. The gravy thickens as it cools, so take it off the flame a little runnier than you like.
Chef’s Note
Whole lobia holds its shape through pressure cooking, which gives the curry its body. A serving of this curry comes to about 227 kcal and 10.6 g of protein, nearly all of the protein from the beans, with the fat coming from the mustard oil.
Per serving (approx.): 227 kcal, protein 11 g, carbs 27 g, fat 8.1 g, fibre 5.8 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Aug 13, 2026
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