Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas (cowpeas)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 1/2 cups water, or more if needed

Method

  • Place black-eyed peas into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand for 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse peas.
  • Combine peas, onion, tomato sauce, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a stockpot; pour 3 1/2 cups water over pea mixture. Bring water to a boil, decrease heat to low, cover pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water if sauce gets too thick, until peas are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.