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Amaranth greens stir-fry and young-tender green black-eyed peas curry is a delicious & healthy combo—the curries pair well with wheat or multigrain roti, aka, Indian flatbread.

Tender Black-Eyed Peas Curry

Young and tender black-eyed peas beans are available during winter. Peeling peas is a time-consuming task but work the outcome. Refer to picture #1 for how peeled young and tender black-eyed peas look.

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INGREDIENTS & RECIPE:

• To prepare the curry take 3 tbsp freshly grated coconut,
• 3 tbsp roasted peanuts,
• 2 cloves of garlic,
• a handful of cilantro and 1 Thai green chili, and blend it to paste.
• Next, heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds & wait until they splutter, add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cilantro powder, 2 tsp Maharashtrian Goda masala (if not available, use garam masala), and stir it in the oil.
• Now add one cup of peeled peas, 2-3 cups of water, the blended paste, and salt as per your taste. Cover the wok with a lid and cook the curry on a medium flame until peas are cooked. Optionally, add a pinch of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice.
• Mix well, and cook for another couple of minutes. Generally, it takes 18-20 mins for the peas to cook in a wok. Add water to adjust the consistency.
• Garnish the curry chopped cilantro leaves and serve it with roti.

Amaranth Greens Stir-Fry

I paired the curry with amaranth greens stir-fry. Amaranth greens, also known as ‘Rajgira’ leaves in Maharashtra, India, are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and potassium. The greens are low in calories and high in Iron. 100gm of amaranth leaves contain 29% DRI of Iron. The healthy and delicious recipe is very straightforward to cook and takes no time.

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INGREDIENTS & RECIPE:

• Tightly packed 3 cups of washed and cut amaranth greens,
• One small red onion into fine pieces,
• and finely cut 2 green/red Thai chilies and 3-4 garlic cloves, as shown in picture #2.
• Next, heat oil in a pan, add garlic once the oil is hot, wait until it’s golden brown, add mustard seeds, and then add green/red chilies once the seeds start spluttering, followed by the sliced onions.
• Mix everything well, sauté onions until golden brown. Transfer chopped greens to the pan, sprinkle salt as per your taste, and let it cook for 8-10 mins on a medium flame, as shown in picture #3.
• Keep stirring occasionally. The nutrition-dense greens stir fry pairs well with the black-eyed peas curry and multi-grain or wheat roti.

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You can also prepare healthy and nutritious amaranth leaves stew by adding cooked split ‘Mung beans’ in this stir-fry recipe and pair it with sprouted grains bread to keep the meal’s glycemic index low.