ARF-5-a-day Tuesday #15 - Black-eyed beans in tomato-yogurt sauce

Gosh, I do hate days when I cant get the time to put up any new posts - it's almost like I'm addicted. I guess the constant challenge is to try and take better photos, make the write-up more interesting - I'm always inspired by people who take the time and trouble to make their photos unique. I'd LIKE to, but sometimes cant be bothered to get just the right background or perfect shot... I tend to make do with what I have and get on with it. Which isnt a bad philosophy for life, but not so good for food photography.

But this is meant to be a food post...so I shall get on with the matter in hand. Black-eyed beans (chawli in Hindi, black-eyed beans in English - heheh) are apparently made in the new year for good luck - well, I dont mind making them any time. I mean, good luck and tasty vegetarian proteins are always welcome in MY home!



I used a mild Mediterranean chilli to make this curry... serranos, Thai green or even habanero (well, a portion of one habanero, anyway!) would have been my chilli of choice, but since I was taking Pete's capsaicin capability into account, I had to considerably tone down the heat. Not that it was a bad thing, the creamy yogurt base of the sauce was very nice even without being chilli-hot.

So here it is - my entry for this week's ARF/5-a-day Tuesday #15. Gosh, how the weeks fly by! I seem to be measuring time in ARF Tuesdays of late...

Recipe for: Black-eyed beans in tomato-yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1 tin black-eyed beans (440g)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped fine
1 mild chilli, minced (or hot chillies to taste)
1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
1 tbsp ginger root, grated
1/2 cup yogurt at room temperature, beaten lightly
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Clockwise from top: Mustard seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds. Centre: Kamarkas

Spice mix:
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp kamarkas (optional, use 1/2 tsp fennel seeds instead)

Method:

1. In a small pan, dry-roast all the seeds till they turn golden brown. Cool, then powder finely with a mortar and pestle.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the ginger, garlic and chillies. Fry for 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes and stir, then cover and turn the heat down to medium-high, letting the tomatoes cook down to a mushy sauce.

4. Now add the yogurt one tablespoon at a time, stirring all the time to stop it from curdling.

5. When all the yogurt has been used up, add the powdered spices and stir. Then add the beans and salt to taste, stir again.

6. Let the sauce simmer on medium-low till the consistency is as thick as you want. Do not let the mixture boil on high heat.

7. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

NB: You can fry 1 tsp whole cumin seeds in 1 tsp oil and add that as seasoning to the hot beans, before adding the coriander leaves.