Instructions: Feasting and fasting are both equally valued in the indian scheme of worship and celebration. So while some festivals are marked by sumptuous delicacies others are days of austere meditation and quiet contemplation. With these days of fasting are associated certain permissible foods which are considered pure and peaceful. Prime among these foods are pulses fruits and nuts. Sprouted beans cooked without a trace of spice sliced fruit and roasted nuts are eaten. A favourite is the blackeyed bean eaten for its wholesomeness and ability to taste wonderful without any spices. These beans are in demand during feasts as well when they are added to bubbling curries with any number of spices.

how they grow
Produced in pods on small bushy plants blackeyed beans are grown in the central and northem part of India and vast quantities are sorted cleaned and packed for export to the USA Europe and the middle East.

appearance and taste
These large oblong beans are creamy white with a black eye on one side. The skin is quite thick. They have a subtle nutty aroma and a rich creamy taste that is slightly earthy.

buying and storing
Old beans sometimes get a rusty brown tinge and become wrinkled so avoid these. The best blackeyed beans are plump even and unbroken. Store in an airtight jar but consume within 4 months.

culinary uses
Soak ovemight to soften the pebble hard beans and boil in plenty of water. They can then be cooked with coconut or curry leaves as in south India with mustard seeds and asafoetida as in the west and with onions ginger and garlic as in the north. They are eaten with rotis and rice and make a good nourishing snack on toast. The flavour of conander leaves seems to complement black eyed beans.

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