Indian spices make these black-eyed peas and mushrooms taste as if they took hours, not minutes

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Black-eyed peas are a Southern staple, especially on New Year’s Day, when cooks combine them with rice for Hoppin’ John. Eat them for good luck, if you’re into that sort of thing.

These little legumes are staples in plenty of other cultures’ diets, too, all year round. I love Nigerian-style stewed black-eyed peas (often served with fried plantains), the lobia masala of north India and the Caribbean black-eyed-pea fritters called accra.

Such dishes can take some time to make. But in her new book, “Indian in 7,” Monisha Bharadwaj shows the beauty of a much simpler approach, combining canned black-eyed peas with tomatoes, mushrooms and warming spices.

I particularly appreciate the way she treats those mushrooms. I would have been otherwise inclined to thinly slice and saute them with the super-fragrant ginger, garlic and spices before adding the tomatoes and legumes. But when you cut them into thicker pieces and briefly cook them later in the process, they stay nice and juicy.

Best of all, the dish has a depth of flavor that tastes as though it took hours, not minutes. And that is something you will welcome any day of the year.

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BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH MUSHROOMS

Active: 25 minutes | Total: 25 minutes

4 servings

This Indian dish is wonderfully fragrant from all the vibrant spices and aromatic vegetables. Serve with rice or couscous.

Make Ahead: The dish can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

One (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon sunflower or other neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons cold water

One (14-ounce) can no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, washed, patted dry and thickly sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

Steps

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the whole tomatoes to a medium bowl, leaving the extra juices and liquid behind (reserve it for another use). Snip the tomatoes into bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors or crush them with your hands.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until they start to darken, about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Stir in the chili powder, turmeric and garam masala, cook for a few seconds, then pour in the water and cook until it evaporates and the oil separates, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, black-eyed peas, mushrooms and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the flavors have melded and the mixture has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if you’d like, use a wooden spoon to mash some of the peas to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.

Nutrition | Calories: 100; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 310 mg; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 5 g; Protein: 4 g.

(Adapted from “Indian in 7,” by Monisha Bharadwaj. Kyle, 2019.)