Happy New Year! Jan. 1 signifies new beginnings, a fresh start, resolutions and many aspirations to look forward to. For the Southerners of the United States, eating black- eyed peas on New Year’s day symbolizes prosperity. It is cooked along with meat, and served with greens, usually collard greens, and cornbread. Each of the food items symbolizes something — black-eyed peas when cooked, plump up, which means prosperity, the greens are symbolic for money, meat for moving forward, and cornbread alludes to gold.
Where did Black eyed peas originate?
Black-eyed peas originated in West Africa, and spread all over the world. They are widely cultivated in India and eaten in the form of a daal, prepared differently in all the different regions of India. It is a versatile legume and takes up the flavoring of however it is prepared.
Black-Eyed Peas and Swiss Chard Daal
Black-Eyed Peas and Swiss Chard Daal is one of my favorite daals, it is vegan and my kids love it too. The peas, or “chowla” as we call them in the Gujarati language, are one of my favorite legumes, especially being a vegetarian. I loved my mother’s preparation of this daal, and I make it often with loads of greens. I usually switch up the greens, especially in winter, when they’re in abundance in the markets.
Swiss Chard and the varieties and a simple preparation
Swiss chard is one of my most-visited winter greens. It is part of my menu, at least twice a week. I love a simple preparation of Swiss chard, with olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper — that’s it! It is so delicious and takes just minutes to make.
There are several kinds of Swiss chard, available in the market and the stalks can vary in color such as red, orange, yellow, white. The leaves can be colorful too, from a purple, dark green to a lighter green, with a yellow tinge. Look for varieties such as Bright Lights, Bright Yellow, Fordhook Giant, Lucullus, Rhubarb Chard, Rhubarb Red, and Ruby.
Sneaking greens in daals
A good way to get greens into my kids is by putting them in daals and this preparation is easy. Once the legumes are cooked, simply prepare the masala for the daal, which takes under 30 minutes to make.
Ingredients of the Black-Eyed Peas and Swiss Chard Daal
The ingredients of the Black-Eyed Peas and Swiss Chard Daal are:
- Black-eyed peas or chowla : These are easily available in regular grocery stores or Indian grocery stores. It is linked here.
- Vegetable oil
- Alliums like ginger, garlic and onions
- Tomatoes
- Indian spices : like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, ground turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander and cumin.
- Swiss chard : wash it thoroughly and rough chop it. You can chop it smaller but I do like the chunks of swiss chard in my daal
- Cilantro
Can I use canned black-eyed peas?
You can use canned black-eyed peas and it will quicken the preparation as well. I would use 2 cans of black-eyes peas.
How do you serve this dish?
I like to serve the dish with plain white rice, or as soup on a cold wintry day, or with naan for a hearty meal. It is a comfort meal that reminds me of my mother’s daal and brings back wonderful memories of the two of us in her kitchen.
Can I switch the Swiss Chard with another leafy green?
Yes, you can swap the Swiss Chard with spinach or kale if you would like.
Can I store the leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for upto 2-3 days.
Can I make the daal in advance?
The daal can be made in advance and stored in a container in the fridge for upto 2-3 days.
Other vegan dinner inspirations on my blog are:
If you do make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Black Eyed Peas and Swiss Chard Daal
- 1¾ cups dried black-eyed peas
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1-inch piece of ginger
- 1 green chile
- 3 teaspoons table salt, divided
- Pinch of asafoetida (optional, see headnote)
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 heaping cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 heaping cup of finely chopped tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 3 cups water
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, washed, deveined and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- Rice or naan to serve
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions:
- Soak the black eyed peas in warm water for about 2 to 3 hours. Drain and transfer to a medium saucepan and add water and 2 teaspoons of salt to about 2 inches above the bean level. Cook, covered, on medium to medium-high heat for about 30 minutes. Check the beans. If they are soft, drain and set aside. If not, boil for another 15 minutes and check again. You may need to add more water, so the beans stay covered when boiling.
- In a small food processor, add the garlic cloves, ginger and green chile. Grind to a paste. Set it aside.
- In a medium to large saucepan, on medium to high heat, add the vegetable oil.
- Add the asafoetida, if using, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Saute for about 30 seconds, until you hear the seeds splatter. This is called tempering.
- Next add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly brown.
- Add the garlic-ginger-chile paste and saute for 20 seconds.
- Stir in the tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes Add all the dry spices like cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, red chile powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked peas in at this point, and add 2 cups of the water. Stir to combine.
- Add the Swiss chard and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes. The Swiss chard will wilt and cook down, and the daal will start to thicken. If it is too thick, add the additional cup of water. Cook for another 5 minutes without the lid.
- Add cilantro and stir to combine.
- Serve with rice or fresh naan.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
- Can I switch the Swiss Chard with another leafy green?
- Yes, you can swap the Swiss Chard with spinach or kale if you would like.
- Can I store the leftovers?
- Leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for upto 2-3 days.
- Can I make the daal in advance?
- The daal can be made in advance and stored in a container in the fridge for upto 2-3 days.
