Black Eyed Beans with Spinach

If you are looking for a filling, super healthy vegetarian dhal to make this week, then how about trying out this one out. These small, creamy beans are so delicious and pack quite a nutritious punch too; their fibre content makes them great at keeping you fuller for longer, fab at balancing cholesterol levels and helpful in regulating the digestive system.

I’ve also added loads of spinach – because its rich in iron, vitamins C, K and A. Enjoy this with some brown rice and/or other vegetables for a complete meal. Here’s how you can make it:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

½ cup of black eyes beans, soaked overnight (or you can used pre-cooked canned beans too)
200g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
Rapeseed oil
Knob of butter (if non-vegan)
1 large white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Method:

Put the soaked black eyed beans into a large pan. Do not use the water that the beans were soaking in.
Add about 1 litre of water, you want the beans covered by about 3 inches of water. Place a lid on and cook the beans on a high heat for 1 hour. You can also use a pressure cooker, which halves the cooking time.
Check the beans are soft by squeezing them between your fingers, turn off and leave to cool.
In a large non-stick pan, heat a large glug of rapeseed oil and the butter. When hot, add the cumin seeds and allow to sizzle for 30 seconds, until browned and fragrant.
Add the onions and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add the ginger and garlic and fry for another 4-5 minutes.
Reduce the heat and stir in the tomatoes, chilli, ground coriander, turmeric and then cook on a medium-to-low heat for about 5-7 minutes to create a thick shiny masala paste.
Then add your cooked black eyes peas WITH the water and salt. Give this all a good mix, bring to the boil, and then simmer and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Then add the spinach and garam masala and leave to simmer for a final 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as you like.
Serve with chopped coriander.