Hoppin' John with Indian touch

Delicious Hoppin' John a traditional new year recipe based on the belief that eating black eyed peas brings on first day of year brings luck.

I wish all my readers and friends a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Hope 2015 brings you all the happiness you are looking forward to.

A few years ago I started tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day.

It is based on superstition that eating black-eyed peas (the primary ingredient of Hoppin' John) is considered lucky if eaten on New Year's Day along with collard greens.

The act of eating two is supposed to ensure prosperity. The collards represent greenbacks and the black-eyed peas coins. Or so they say.

What is Hoppin' John?

Hoppin' John is basically black eyed peas stew made with black eyed peas, onion and bacon and rice. Traditional way of making is to cook everything in a single pot.

If you want to know more about hopping john read from here.  Even though the origin of this recipe is not clearly known, Hoppin' John was originally a Low Country food before spreading to the entire population of the South.

I found the traditional recipe a bit bland maybe because of my Indian roots, which always require some spices. Yes we Indians eat lot of lentils and beans.

So it is really natural for me to make black-eyed peas for one more day, if it brings luck why wait.

How to make ?

The   dried peas were soaked overnight, and I used pressure cooker to cook the peas. I also added spices and tomato to enhance the flavor and taste.

Yes you may say it looks like curry, because of all the spices. Also I like to cook rice separately and serve together, that is modern version of Hoppin' john.

You may also find, ginger and garlic in my hoppin' john as it known to reduce the gas problems while having beans, which you can skip it.

Also you can dial a bit on amount of heat to make it comfortable to your taste.  Here comes most flavorful and tasty Hoppin' John recipe. You can also make this recipe in slow cooker.

For more black-eyed peas

Instant pot black-eyed peas curry

Print Recipe

5 from 21 votes

Hoppi'n John with Indian Touch

Delicious Hoppi's John dish made with Indian spices and veggies.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Hoppi'n John

Servings: 4

Calories: 107kcal

Author: Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy)

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried black eyed peas/ lobia soaked overnight
• ¾ cup chopped onion
• 1 to mato chopped finely
• 1 cup water plus 3 cup for cooking the black eyed peas
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 green chili
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder use cayenne or paprika for mild flavor
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

• Soak 1 cup of black eyed peas for overnight,
  
• next morning wash and pressure cook them with 3 cup of water. Cook for about 4 whistles about 15 minutes.
  
• In a medium sauce pot, heat oil and add mustard seeds when it start popping
  
• add onion, green chili and curry leaves.
  
• Once onion becomes translucent about 5 -6 minutes
  
• then add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2 minutes.
  
• To this add all the spices and finally chopped tomato can cook for about 3 minutes or until it become soft.
  
• Then add 1 cup of water, cooked black eyed peas and salt.
  
• Cook everything for about another 5 minutes.
  
• Switch off the flame and enjoy with a bowl or rice.
• You can cook everything in a slow cooker too. It will take about 5-6 hours.

Notes

If you are using Instant pot soaking overnight can be skipped and everything cooked with 35 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!

Swathi

This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread.  All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.