Turnip Greens and Black-Eyed Peas flavored with Cumin, Coconut, Chili

Black-eyed peas, much like other legumes of its kind, is full of protein and fiber, with health benefits that make it a friendly food to incorporate. My mom used to make chundal, koottu, even simple dal with it.

The title, Turnip Greens and Black-Eyed Peas flavored with Cumin, Coconut, Chili, says it all, basically. The recipe here uses turnip greens with black-eyed peas, but any other greens, or no greens at all will still work with this cumin-coconut-chili paste.

Serve with simple roti or naan or plain hot basmati rice with home-made flavored ghee. Or, enjoy is as-is.

Ingredients
2 cups fresh chopped turnip greens
2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
water as needed
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice (more or less)

for the cumin-coconut-chili paste:
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
4 Tbsp dry grated coconut
4 to 6 dry red chilies (fewer, if preferred)

for the tempering:
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal

Preparation

1. Paste: combine the paste ingredients with a little water and blend to a smooth paste, keep handy
2. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onions and garlic, add the turnip greens, some water cover and cook till it wilts a bit; then add the cooked black-eyed peas, the paste from the step above, more water if needed, some salt, and simmer till greens are done
3. Tempering: In a small pan, heat the oil, when it is quite hot, add the chana dal and urad dal, allow them to turn golden brown, then add the mustard seeds, let them pop, turn off heat
4. Taste and adjust flavors, stir in the lemon juice, top with the tempering and serve warm