Crowder Peas chi UsaL

I discovered crowder peas in America. I had not eaten them in India. I used them regularly in my cooking now. I sometimes make ghasshi or Ambat or even simple usal or Saar upkari. But today I was in mood for something Malvani. So I made Malvani style usal using crowder peas.

Crowder Peas chi UsaL
Crowder peas stir fry
Ingredients
1 pack frozen, brown crowder peas (16 oz)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder

Tempering
2 tsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida

Grind to a coarse paste
1/4 cup coconut
1 tbsp coriander seeds
5-6 black peppercorns

Garnish
1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

Method
1. Grind coconut, coriander seeds and peppercorns to a coarse paste. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
3. Saute for about 5- 7 minutes, till the onion is soft.
4. Stir in crowder peas and 1/2 cup water. Cover and let them cook till soft, but not mushy. Add more water if required.
5. After the peas are cooked, add ground coconut paste & salt to taste.
6. Bring to boil. Let the water evaporate to get a dry side dish.
7. Garnish with cilantro

Note -
1. If desired, you can leave some water to get gravy-like consistency.
2. You can pressure cook the beans for 2 whistles before adding to the saucepan, to reduce the cooking time.
3. I tried to google "crowder peas" and came to know that they fall in the same family as black eyed peas/cow peas.