Red Cowpeas Curry with Vegetable

Is there a food group that you wish you had included more in your diet? For us it is protein! Other than toor dal, I don’t use anything else in this group on a daily basis. I have been trying to improve this in last couple of months. I increased our intake of chicken/egg/fish to a level that we can tolerate – even if we love our nonveg, we are not one of those who can eat it every day. While growing up, fish was on the menu one day a week and chicken couple of times a year!. Then there is another mindset to change – somehow when I think about protein, first thing that comes to mind is non-veg. I tend to forget different legumes that are excellent sources of protein. I remember, aayi always had some kind of sidedish – a randayi with beans and vegetable – with one or the other kind of beans. I am trying new ways to include more legumes, one very successful attempt at it is 16 bean soup. I have it on the menu almost once a week. Recently I prepared this red cowpeas curry with vegetables.

When we came to US many years ago, I bought atleast 10 types of beans from Indian store here. Soon I realized, V did not like them much.  The problem is, here everything at Indian stores comes in big packets and it was years before I used them all up. Now I am more cautious before buying anything. Recently, after wanting to buy these for a long time, I got a pack of red chori beans.

I have not used these beans before. I think the closest to red chori beans is brown cow peas that I used to make my aayi’s bagade khatkhate which was a childhood favorite. I wanted a quick dish to go with chapatis and I found this – it was a really good idea to mix veggies and these red chori beans. The curry came out really good, went well with chapatis.

I am sending this to Nupur’s my legume love affair event – information about the event at Lisa’s .

Ingredients:
1 cup red cow peas(red chori beans/adzuki beans)
1/2 cup onions
1 tea spn chopped ginger
1 tea spn chopped garlic
1/2 cup tomato
1/2 tea spn cumin powder
1/2 tea spn coriander powder
1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
1 tea spn chilli powder
A pinch turmeric
1 tea spn kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
1 cup carrots and potatoes
Oil
Salt

Method:

Soak the beans in water for about 5-6 hrs. Alternatively, add boiling water to the beans, leave it closed for about an hour.
Cook the beans in pressure cooker (for approx 3 whistles) till they are soft.

Heat oil and add cumin seeds, onion, ginger, garlic. Fry for few minutes and then add tomatoes, salt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder. Cover and cook till tomatoes are softened.

Then add carrots, potatoes, cooked chori beans. Cover and let the vegetables get completely cooked.

Take kasuri methi on the palm of your hand and slightly crush them with your fingers. Then add it to the curry. Cook for 2-3mins.
Serve hot with chapatis.

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 30mins