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Chora nu shaak
Black-eyed pea curry
ચોળાનું શાક: Jain Gujarati black-eyed peas in a sweet-sour tomato gravy with jaggery, lemon and dhana-jiru (plus overnight soaking)
Chora nu shaak is a Sunday favourite in Surat and Baroda homes and one of the pulse shaaks that rotate through a Jain kitchen in place of onion-based gravies. Black-eyed peas are cooked soft, then simmered in a thin tomato gravy built on a vaghar of mustard seed, cumin, hing, cloves and dry red chilli, sweetened with jaggery and sharpened with lemon in true Gujarati style. Dry ginger powder replaces fresh ginger, and there is no onion or garlic. The gravy should be loose enough to soak into rotli or rice, with a few beans mashed to give it body. A common mistake is adding tomato and jaggery before the beans are fully soft; acid and sugar keep them hard however long you cook them. Chef's tip: let the shaak rest for 10 minutes before serving; the chora drink up the gravy and the flavours round out.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chora
- 7 oz black-eyed peas (chora)soaked 6–8 hours
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
For the gravy
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cloves
- 1 green chillifinely chopped
- 3 tomatoespuréed
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¾ cup hot water
To finish
- 1 ½ tbsp jaggerygrated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz black-eyed peas (chora) and pressure cook with 2 cups water, ½ tsp ground turmeric and half the ⅝ tsp salt for 3 whistles on medium heat. Let the pressure drop by itself; the beans should be creamy inside.
18 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp groundnut oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds (rai) and, when it splutters, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 2 cloves, 1 dried red chilli and ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing).
1 minStep 3: Add 1 green chilli and 3 tomatoes and cook for 6–7 minutes, stirring, until the purée thickens and oil shows at the edges.
7 minStep 4: Stir in ½ tsp dry ginger powder (sonth), 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 ½ tsp dhana-jiru (ground coriander-cumin) and ½ tsp garam masala for 30 seconds.
1 minStep 5: Add the cooked chora with their liquid, ¾ cup hot water and the rest of the ⅝ tsp salt. Mash a spoonful of beans against the side of the pan and simmer for 6–8 minutes until the gravy is lightly thickened.
8 minStep 6: Stir in 1 ½ tbsp jaggery and 1 tbsp lemon juice and simmer for 1 minute more. Taste for the sweet-sour balance, scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and rest 10 minutes before serving.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chora nu shaak take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of black mustard seeds (rai)?
- Cumin seeds, same amount (different flavour, same crackle).
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