Shashikala Potnis, the wife of the owner and head chef of the Highway Gomatak restaurant, together with her main assistant and daughter-in-law Sanjali, were extremely kind and generous when I visited. They patiently taught me many of the exquisite Hindu Goan-style dishes they cook and serve in their rather rough-and-ready, though highly successful, restaurant. This dish was one of them. It is generally served with rice or rice breads and other vegetable and fish dishes (yes, they eat fish).
SERVES 6
• 2¼ cups dried black-eyed peas, washed and soaked overnight
• 3 medium onions, peeled
• 1 well-packed cup fresh grated coconut, or defrosted if frozen
• 5 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
• 4–5 medium tomatoes (about 1½ lbs), peeled and finely chopped
• ¾–1 teaspoon nice red chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
1. Drain the peas, put them into a pan with 6 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Skim off the froth, then partially cover, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, until the peas are tender. Transfer them to a bowl and wash the pan.
2. While the peas are cooking, chop one of the onions and place in a blender with the coconut and ¾ cup water. Blend until you have as fine a paste as your blender can manage, pushing down with a rubber spatula if needed. Set aside.
3. Finely chop the remaining onions. Put the oil in the clean pan and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and fry until they brown at the edges. Add the tomatoes and fry until they soften and turn into a dark mush. The oil should show at the edges.
4. Tip in the paste from the blender and stir a few times, scraping up all the good bits stuck at the bottom. Add the chili powder, coriander, and turmeric and fry over medium heat for 7–8 minutes or until the mixture browns lightly. Add all the cooked beans and their liquid, plus another 4–8 tablespoons of water, depending on how thick you want the beans to be. Stir in the salt and garam masala and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes or until the beans are very tender, stirring now and then.
