Black eyed Pea Spinach Cakes/Lobiya Palak Ki Tikki– Black eyed Peas are mashed and cooked with spinach and Flaxseed to make a high protein, low fat, meal. No potatoes ,Bread or bread crumbs make it a low carbohydrate, gluten free and vegan meal.

Black eyed peas are called by different names in parts of India. At my house its called rongi. It also goes by lobiya, chowli, chawli in North India. In Telugu its called alachandalu, in Tamil its called karamani payir, in Malyalam its called vanpayar and in Bengali its known as Barbatti. The most common way to eat Black eyed peas is to make it into a curry, just like we do with chick peas.

I started making these Black eyed Pea Spinach Cakes/Lobia Palak Ki Tikki on New Years Day and the day after Diwali(the Indian New Year) after learning that it is an American tradition in the South to eat this on the first day of the New year for wealth and prosperity! A few years back our family went to an Ashram on January 1st. It was a potluck and many American families were there as well. Everyone walked in with some form of Blackeyed Peas and Greens! I had never seen so many variations of Blackeyed peas and Greens-there was curry, salad, boiled and sauteed! Some people also brought Cornbread which is also eaten on New years day. The symbolism for the Black eyed peas is that they resemble coins and expand in volume symbolizing expanding wealth. The Greens represent currency and the cornbread stands for gold! There is a well known phrase ‘Peas for pennies, greens for dollars and cornbread for gold’. Some people also throw in a coin while cooking and whoever gets the coin gets extra prosperity and good luck. You can read more about the history of this tradition here and on Wikipedia.

Though the tradition calls for Black eyed Peas to be cooked with Collard or Turnip Greens along with pork, I have modified it to include spinach and of course I make it without any meat. I make this pretty often at our home because its a nice way to sneak in a LOT of spinach into my daughters diet and she loves it in the form of tikkis/cakes. It makes an excellent breakfast as it is high in protein and keeps us full for a very long time. Put it between some bread and top with your favorite toppings to make a veggie burger or just wrap in lettuce for a gluten free version. Since this was made as offering to god on New Years day, I have made it without onion and garlic, though I like to add both, when I make it otherwise.

Alternates to using dry Black eyed peas-

You can use canned black eyed peas-just drain them well. They have added salt so keep that in mind when you add salt.

You can use frozen black eyed peas as well. They are a lot quicker to cook compared to the dry ones and don’t require soaking.

Instant pot instructions for the Black eyed peas-The lobia can also be boiled in an Instant pot. For soaked black eyed peas- pressure cook for 4-5 minutes. For dry black eyed peas-pressure cook for 14-18 minutes. OR usse the “bean” option on Instant Pot.

Alternates to spinach-You can use kale. Remove the hard stalks and chop fine and cook till water dries up. I have not tried with collards, turnip or mustard greens but any greens that have similar cooking times like spinach should work.

Alternates to Flax seed-Flax seed helps to bind the cakes as there is no binding agent like eggs, bread, bread crumb or potatoes. It also adds to the overall nutrition of the dish. You can add almond flour for more nutrition and protein. For binding the alternatives can be boiled mashed potatoes, bread crumbs, cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca flour.

I love it with just Green Chatni and Instant Tamarind Chatni. For other high protein, low fat breakfast options try Kaale Chane ke kebabs, Green Moong Dhokla, Palak Aloo ki Tikk with Almond flour, Instant Khaman Dhokla with Tips/Tricks for Soft,Spongy Dhokla, Moong Dal Appe-South Indian style, Oatmeal Avocado Appe and Lauki ke Appe/Kofte.

Other recipes to try are-

Moong Dal Toast-Vegan High Protein Breakfast

Green Moong Dal Instant Dosa/Chilla

Spinach Corn Sandwich

Palak Pakora/Spinach Fritter-Air Fryer Recipe

Vegan + Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower Wings(Oven or Air Fryer)

Air Fried Tortilla Papdi for Indian Chaat

Here is the written recipe of Black eyed Pea Spinach Cakes/Lobiya Palak Ki Tikki followed by the pictorial one-

Black eyed pea Spinach cakes/Lobia Palak ki Tikki

Aanchal Gupta

Blackeyed Peas are mashed and cooked with spinach and Flaxseed to make a high protein,low fat,meal. No potatoes,Bread or bread crumbs make it a low carbohydrate,gluten free and vegan meal.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Course Breakfast, Dinner, lunch, Party Appetizer

Cuisine Indian/International

Servings -16

Equipment

1 flat pan/griddle
1 spatula
1 potato masher
1 measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

1 Cup Blackeyed Peas/Lobiya soaked overnight or 2 1/2 cooked Blackeyed Peas(can use canned)
5 cups Fresh chopped Spinach
1 1/2 tsp Ginger minced
2-3 Green Chilies chopped(fewer if you like it mild)
3 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1 tsp Coarsely ground Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds/jeera
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime/lemon depending upon size
salt as per taste
1 tsp garlic optional
1/2 cup chopped onions optional
1 Tbsp oil/ghee/butter plus a little more for browning

Instructions

Place soaked Blackeyed peas/Lobiya in a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt and give 2 whistles or cook in pot till cooked.
Strain the Blackeyed peas/Lobiya and let it cool. Mash into a paste when cool enough to handle.
In 1 tbsp oil/ghee/butter add 1 tsp Cumin/jeera and let it splutter.
If you want to use garlic, add now and cook till raw smell of garlic goes away.(this is optional)
Add Spinach with a dash of salt and cook till all the water from spinach dries up.
Add mashed Blackeyed peas/Lobiya, Ginger, Green chilies, Flaxseed,Garam Masala,juice of lime/lemon and Coriander seeds. Adding chopped onions is an option at this point.
Make into cakes/tikkis and cook on a pan with little oil/ghee/butter till brown on both sides.

Notes

The addition of garlic and onions enhances the taste. Cook and dry the spinach to enable the cakes/tikkis to hold their shape.Its important to dry out the water in spinach. Add more flaxseed if needed to shape tikkis/cakes. I cup of dry Blackeyed peas yields 2 1/2 cups cooked beans.You can add some almond flour to increase the protein and make it more healthy. It will also help in binding. If you dont mind a few carbs, use breadcrumbs or a 1-2 slices of bread that have been soaked in water and squeezed.

Keyword bean burger, bean patties, blackeyed pea burger, blackeyed pea patties, blackeyed pea slider, blackeyed pea tikki, healthy breakfast, high protein breakfast, high protein lunch

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-

Boil the Blackeye peas/Lobiya with salt