Korean-Inspired Black-eyed Peas and Kale Bowl

From Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen.

Similar to bibimbap, this dish is a collection of separately-prepared ingredients served over rice. While it’s delicious with just the black-eyed peas and kale, I suggest adding a third component, such as the bean sprouts salad, shown, or Korean-Style Cucumber Salad.

Ingredients

BLACK-EYED PEAS

• 1.5 cups dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
• 5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger root or ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons chopped ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
• 1/4 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) or red pepper flakes, to taste

KALE

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large bunch (12-16 ounces) kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
• brown rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Pre-Cook the Blackeyed Peas: Combine the black-eyed peas, 5 cups water, 1 tbsp. ginger, 1 tbsp. garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a pressure cooker or large pot. For pressure cooking, seal the cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes; then allow the pressure to come down naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. For regular cooking, use 6 cups of water. Cover and simmer until peas are tender (60-90 minutes), adding more water if necessary.
2. Drain the cooked peas, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a medium-sized non-stick saucepan. Add the 2 teaspoons chopped ginger root and 2 cloves of garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the drained peas, 1/3 cup of their cooking liquid, 1 tbsp. soy sauce (or tamari), and red pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, as you prepare the kale. Add additional cooking liquid if the peas get too dry.
3. Kale: Heat a deep, non-stick skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook until it begins to brown, adding a little water as necessary to prevent sticking. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the kale and 1/4 cup water and quickly cover. Steam until the kale is tender but still bright green, 3-6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the soy sauce (tamari).
4. Place a serving of rice into each bowl. Arrange the black-eyed peas on one side of the rice and kale on the other. Serve with hot sauce, such as Sriracha or the Gochuchang sauce in the notes below.

Notes

I served this with a simple hot sauce based on Korean red pepper paste (gochuchang). Mix 1 1/2 tbsp. gochuchang, 1 1/2 tbsp. hot water, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil in a small bowl. This makes a lightly spicy sauce that most people will not find too hot.

Easy Hint: You can use 2 cans of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained, instead of cooking dried peas. Simply begin with step 2, use water instead of cooking liquid, and increase the amounts of ginger and garlic, as desired.

Gluten-Free and Soy-Free? Make this using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s) | Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Nutrition (per serving, without rice or sauce): 186 calories, 8 calories from fat, 1gtotal fat, 0mg cholesterol, 432.9mg sodium, 793.2mg potassium, 34.4g carbohydrates, 6.2g fiber, 4.1g sugar, 12.5g protein.