Lobia Masala Recipe – Sharmis Passion

Lobia Masala is a simple curry made with lobia, onions, tomatoes and basic spices. This gravy has a thick consistency with soft cooked lobia. It has mild spices as well as mild spiciness of tomato. This dish turns out great every time and is easy to make, goes well with both roti and rice.

This curry is usually made for lunch or dinner and keeps you full for a long time. This gravy is made with simple ingredients available at home and does not require much effort. Everyone at home enjoys it a lot. The spices mix well with the gravy and give good taste.

About Lobia Masala

Lobia Masala also known as Black Eyed Peas Masala is a popular North Indian curry made with Lobia, onions, tomatoes and spices and the recipe is quite common in Punjabi households and is often made for regular meals. This is a simple curry that does not require many ingredients. Cowpea has good amount of protein, hence it becomes a filling food for everyone.

It has a thick texture and soft cooked cowpea inside. The onion tomato masala gets applied well on the cowpea and gives it a good taste. Finally adding Kasoori Methi gives good aroma and taste. You can adjust the spice powder as per your liking, making it mild or slightly spicy depending on your preference.

This recipe can be made slightly different depending on your taste and preference. Some people prefer thin gravy for rice and some prefer thick gravy for roti. It can also be served with jeera rice, phulka or naan. Lobia is quite easy to cook after soaking it. The curry keeps well for a few hours and tastes better when rested.

I usually make this recipe at home often when I want something simple for lunch or dinner. My family enjoys it with phulka and sometimes with rice.

Lobia Masala Ingredients

• Lobia – I have used cowpea as the main ingredient for this curry and after cooking it becomes soft and absorbs all the flavors of the gravy well.
• Onion – I added onion to make the gravy base and it gives good taste and flavor to the curry.
• Tomato – Tomato is the main gravy, which is added for spiciness and color and it blends well with the spices giving a rich taste to the gravy.
• Green chilly – I have added some spice and green chilli for taste. You can always adjust it according to your taste.
• ginger garlic – I have used fresh ginger and garlic for aroma and taste and it gives good taste to the gravy.
• Fenugreek seeds – I added kasoori methi in the last step and it gives a light restaurant style taste as well as nice aroma.
• coriander leaves – Use coriander leaves for garnish, it adds freshness and good taste to the curry.
• spice powder – Chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and curry masala are used for color, spice, aroma and flavor of the dish.
• whole spices – I added cumin, cinnamon and cloves for seasoning. It gives warm aroma.
• Oil – I used regular cooking oil to temper and fry the ingredients, which brought all the flavors together.

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How to make Lobia Masala step by step

1.Soak the cowpeas for an hour and keep them aside. -Make puree of tomatoes and keep it ready

2. Heat oil in a pan – add the items listed under ‘For tempering’ and let it crackle. Then add ginger and garlic in the crusher.

3. After pressing it, grind garlic and ginger and add it. Fry for a minute. Then add onion.

4. Fry until transparent. Then add tomato puree. Fry and cook for a minute.

5. Then add all the spice powders along with salt and fry until the raw smell of tomatoes comes out.

6. Filter and add cowpea. mix well. Add water and pressure cook on medium flame for 3 whistles.

7. Let the pressure release on its own. Take out a little Lobia separately and mash it well with a spoon.

8.Now add it to the gravy and cook again for a few minutes, it will become thick. Cook on low flame for 5 minutes, then add crushed Kasuri methi and chopped coriander, mix well and turn it off.

serve hot!

Expert Tips

• soaking – I usually soak lobia for at least an hour before cooking as this helps it cook faster and become softer.
• cooking – Pressure cook the cowpeas until they become soft and tender, otherwise the curry will not taste good.
• mash – Mash some cooked lobia and add it back to the gravy as this helps in thickening the gravy naturally.
• spices – Adjust the spice powder as per your preference, you can make it mild or slightly spicy depending on preference.
• control the flame – Always cook on medium flame. Too high a flame may cause the masala to burn.
• Fenugreek seeds – I add crushed Kasoori Methi at the end and turn it off. This keeps the aroma fresh.

serving and storage

Serve with chapatti, roti or jeera rice. This ghee also tastes good with rice. Keep the remaining gravy in the refrigerator and eat it within two days. – Heat the pan again and add some water when it thickens. Stir well and serve hot.

general questions and answers

1.Can I make this without soaking lobia?

Soaking is recommended as it helps the lobia cook faster. It also softens the texture.

2.Why does my gravy taste sour?

Tomatoes may be too sour or not ripe enough. – Add a small pinch of sugar and cook some more.

3.Why should I crush some Lobia?

Mashing some cowpeas thickens the gravy naturally. It also gives better texture to the curry.

4.Can I make it spicy?

Yes, add more green chillies or chilli powder. Adjust it according to your family tastes.

5.Can I pass it on?

Yes, you can make it in advance and keep it in the fridge, in fact the curry tastes better after resting for some time.

If you have any further questions about this Lobia Masala Recipe Mail me at sharmispassions@gmail.com. Also, follow me Instagram, Facebook, pinterest, youtube And Twitter .

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