Cookbook:Chicken and Black-eyed Pea Stew

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This dish is a spicy chicken black-eyed pea stew or curry. It is a meal on its own.

• 1 cup of dry black-eyed peas (or about 2 cups canned)
• 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil or chicken fat
• 2 medium (~2 cups) chopped white or red onions
• 2 ea. (~2 cups) chopped carrots
• 1 stalk (~½–1 cup) chopped celery including the leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1–2 tbsp minced ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, preferably freshly-crushed peppercorns
• 1 cup uncooked long-grained rice, preferably brown rice
• 2 cups chicken stock, canned tomato liquid, water, or vegetable stock
• 2 cups canned tomatoes (crushed or diced), or 1 pound diced fresh tomatoes.
• 1 pound bone-in chicken meat (e.g. two chicken legs)
• 2 medium to hot chile peppers (optional)
• 2 tsp curry powder stirred into the juice of ½ lemon

1. If using dry black-eyed peas, wash them, then cook for 20 minutes or until al dente. When done, drain.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onions, carrots, and celery in oil for 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 2 more minutes.
4. Stir rice into vegetable mix.
5. Add stock and tomatoes, then bring to a boil.
6. Add the cooked black-eyed peas.
7. Add meat, cook a further 5 minutes, turn heat to low, and let simmer for 30–40 minutes. The stew is ready when the rice is soft.
8. Add chili peppers and curry-lemon paste, then cook for 10 more minutes. Serve hot.

• This dish works well as a vegetarian dish. Just omit the chicken, and increase the amount of black-eye peas by 50%.