Black eyed Peas Curry for New Years

In Southern United States, eating Black eyed peas on New Years day is considered to bring luck & prosperity. I knew this bit of information for years but come New Years day I would some how forget it. So this year I made sure to follow it through by eating black eyed peas on new years day. Though the dish is made in Indian style, I'm sure it's going to bring us luck & prosperity because it's healthy and health beats wealth in my book.
I love black eyed peas because they don't need pre-soaking and cook really fast. I always make sure that I have a bag of these in my pantry for quick meal solutions. They can be used to make curries or rice dishes and make great addition to salads and burgers as well.

As I was looking for recipes to make with black eyed peas, I found this flavorful curry recipe in 660 Curries cookbook by Raghavan Iyer. Here black eyed peas are flavored with ground coconut, onions and green chilies. Very simple preparation, yet very delicious.

Ingredients:
Black eyed peas - 1cup
Onion - 2 small, thinly sliced, divided use
Coconut - ½cup grated (if using dry coconut use ¼cup and soak it in ½cup of warm water for 15~20 minutes before using)
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Green chilies - 4, slit
Salt - to taste

For Tempering:
Coconut Oil - 2tbsp (can use neutral flavored oils as well)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 8~10

Method:

• If you have time, soak black eyed peas for 1 hour. This will help them cook fast. But if you are in a hurry, then just use them without soaking.
• In a pressure cooker, combine black eyed peas and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that forms on the top. Add 1 thinly sliced onion and 2 green chilies. Cover with the lid and cook for 3~4 whistles or until the beans are tender. Set the cooker aside for the pressure to drop.
• In the meantime, combine the remaining 1 sliced onion, 2 green chilies, coconut, cumin seeds and salt in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste adding little water if necessary.
• Once the cooker cools down, remove the lid and add the ground paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the flame to a simmer and cook until the onions don't smell raw anymore, about 8~10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• In a small saucepan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and once the seeds start to splutter, add curry leaves and pour the mixture onto the black eyed peas. Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

Linking this dish to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge' - January: Week 1.