Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry

This Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas curry, also known as Lobia ki sabji, is the yummiest Indian side dish. With basic spices and tomatoes added to the pot with beans, they're ridiculously easy, delicious, and ready in a fraction of the time. This recipe is Vegan, Gluten-free, perfect for a weeknight meal, and is freezer-friendly.

Jump to:

• Why you will love this Lobia Curry?
• Ingredients required to make this recipe –
• How to make this Lobia Curry? | Step by step recipe with pot in pot method –
• Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQS –
• Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Curry

I’m really in love with the Instant Pot for making beans at home. I've made Instant Pot Chickpeas and Instant Pot Refried Beans with great success.

Cooking dry beans at home is a great way to save money.

They are not just easy but they have much more flavor since you can flavor them right from the beginning. So that way you can control the amount of sodium too.

Plus, it's so easy! In less than an hour, you'll have tender, flavorful beans.

If you are like me who loves making recipes with beans, then try this recipe of 15 beans soup. It’s so good.

Cooking Black eye peas in Instant pot is really a game-changer.

Why you will love this Lobia Curry?

• Simple and Easy to make recipe with basic pantry ingredients.
• Flavorful
• Nutritious
• Vegan and Gluten-Free.
• Perfect for weeknight meals.
• The best part – Soaking the peas are not required!

Ingredients required to make this recipe –

• Black-eyed peas
• Tomato
• Cumin seeds
• Red chili powder
• Cumin powder
• Coriander powder
• Turmeric powder
• Garam Masala
• Salt
• Sugar (Optional)
• Oil
• Lemon juice and cilantro for garnishing

How to make this Lobia Curry? | Step by step recipe with pot in pot method –

Wash black-eyed peas very well and drain all the water.

Turn on the normal saute mode of your IP. When you read HOT, add oil and cumin seeds. (Photo – 1)

Let the cumin seeds crackle. Now add chopped tomatoes and saute for 20 to 25 seconds.

Add black-eyed peas, water, all the spices (salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder) and sugar. Mix well. (Photo 3 to 6)

Place washed brown rice, water, and salt to taste in stainless steel or other small pot in a pot container for the Instant Pot (Photo 9).

Cover it. (Photo 8)

Now place long trivet. Place the rice pot on top of it. (Skip this step if you don’t want to do PIP). (Photo 7)

At this point, secure the lid on your Instant Pot, making sure the valve is set to sealing. (Photo 10)

Turn off the IP from saute mode and press the Manual/pressure cook button and set the timer on high pressure for 22 minutes. (Photo 11)

Let the pressure naturally.

Open the lid of the Instant Pot and carefully, fluff the rice with a fork,  remove the rice container and the trivet from the pressure cooker. Set it aside. (Photo 12 and 13)

Then finish the cooked lobia(black-eyed peas) with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy hot with brown rice, and salad. (Photo 14)

Notes, pro-tips, and quick FAQS –

• You can add spinach or collard greens too to make this dish wholesome.
• This curry is full of spices. Adjust the spices according to your taste.
• I have used Kashmiri red chili powder to get a deep color. Plus Kashmiri red chili is mild in flavors. Use chili powder available in your pantry but don’t forget to adjust it according to your spice level.
• If you don’t have fresh tomato on hand, you can use canned crushed tomatoes too or skip it completely.
• Rinse the peas first to make sure they are free of dirt or other debris that could be in them.
• Cook the rice using a pot within a pot method in the Instant Pot, this makes preparation much faster. But make sure to use ONLY brown rice with black-eyed peas. White rice will be mushy with these particular beans.
• If the curry is thick, add a little bit of water and stir. Do this a little at a time to give the consistency you want.

• To Soak or not to soak?

Soaking is depended on time. Here are some of my experiments with soaked black-eyed beans and no soaked peas –

Dry Black Eyed Peas

22 minutes, followed by Natural Pressure Release.

Soaked Black Eyed Peas

Soak overnight and cook 14 minutes, followed by Natural Pressure Release.

Canned Black Eyed Peas

It will take only 5 minutes followed by Natural Pressure Release. If you are using canned black-eyed peas, reduce the amount of water. Use 1:1 water to canned black-eyed peas ratio.

• How much water to use in the instant pot for this curry?

For the semi-dry curry, use 1:2 beans to water ratio. And If you want soup-like consistency, take 1:3 beans to water ratio.

• How long to cook dried black-eyed peas curry in the Instant Pot?

I cooked mine for 22 minutes on high pressure, plus natural release (plus extra time to come up to pressure). This timing has worked for me every time.

However! Some factors can cause you to need more time, like

• • The age of the dried peas
  • The water you use also plays a major role.

So, the great thing about cooking them in the instant pot is that it is super easy to put the lid back on and cook a few extra minutes if needed.

• What to serve with this curry?

This curry is a delicious meal to enjoy any time of the year!

It can be enjoyed as a soup or pair it with rice.

In today’s recipe, I cooked brown rice with black-eyed peas with pot in pot method and my meal got ready under an hour(Including prep time and resting time) and in just one pot. So fewer dishes to clean, which I love the most. Lol…

• Is this recipe freezer friendly?

Yes, you can either refrigerate or freeze this curry. In the refrigerator, this will be good for up to 2-3 days. If you freeze them in freezer-safe containers you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Hungry for more Instant Pot Curry recipes?

Then don’t forget to check out our collection of 14 Instant Pot Curry recipes.

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Warm regards,

Dhwani.