Cookbook:Chicken and Black-eyed Pea Stew

| Chickpea

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

Ingredients

 * 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

Procedure

 * 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.

Notes, tips, and variations

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