Black Eyed Peas With Roasted Eggplant & Coconut

Tender black eyed peas  simmered in tomatoes with roasted eggplant and coconut! This dish tastes exotic, mildly spicy and very meaty.  You can eat it plain like a chunky soup, spoon it generously over some rice or eat it smothered with  bread. Packed with flavor and nutrition this dish is a family favorite. I am on vacation right now so I didn’t think I would cook/blog, but I saw these fresh black eyed peas at the super market just crying out ” make me” and I did. I guess with new year being around the corner, black eyed peas are popular. I had to borrow some props from our host, a dish and their camera since I left all that behind.  Anyway back to the recipe, you can make this dish with fresh, frozen or dry beans. If you’re using dry beans, just soak the beans overnight or at least for a couple of hours before cooking. Roasting the eggplant brings out the flavor and gives the black eyed peas a unique flavor.  I am not quite sure why eating black eyed peas is supposed to be lucky for the new year, but this dish gets made all year round at our home. If you believe in the luck of the black eyed peas for the new year, go ahead and try this recipe. Lucky or not, this dish is a huge win!

Nutrition Wise!

Black eyed peas are a vegetarian’s meat! Packed with fiber, antioxidants and protein this versatile bean is low glycemic and excellent for diabetics and those want to watch their weight. It  fills you up with good stuff and leaves little room in your stomach for other foods. Eggplant is loaded with phytonutrients that act as antioxidants that help to reduce the number of free radicals in the body which damage cells and may contribute to certain diseases, including some cancers and heart diseases. Eggplants are also a good source of dietary fiber, which can help improve cardiovascular and digestive health. Add some healthy coconut fat and you have a power packed dish!

Black Eyed Peas with Roasted Eggplant

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups black eyed peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cups eggplant (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 Large onion (sliced)
• 3 tomatoes (sliced)
• 1/2 Tsp ginger (grated)
• 3 Pods garlic (grated)
• 1 Tsp cumin powder
• 1 Tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 Tsp chili powder
• 1 Tsp salt
• 2-3 Cups water
• 3 Tbsp cilantro
• 2 Tbsp coconut (flakes)

Note

If using dry beans soak overnight or 6-8 hrs in hot water before cooking. If using a pressure cooker to cook the peas, cook for 1-2 whistles before taking off the fire

Directions

	Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add onion and saute 5 minutes till soft. Add ginger, garlic, spices , tomato and cook another 2-3 minutes.
	Add black eyed peas, water, salt and cook 1/2 hour till peas are soft.
	Meantime roast eggplant in 1 tbsp olive oil till browned on each side. Add eggplant to the black eyed peas and cook another ten minutes.
	Add coconut, cilantro and cook 2-3 minutes.
	Serve hot as a soup, over rice or with bread.

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