Bharazi (Pigeon Peas in Coconut Cream) Recipe

Bharazi is a dish of pigeon peas simmered in coconut milk, typically served for breakfast along with mandazi, or sweet coconut donuts.

By
Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson
Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson
Noorbanu Nimji was an expert in Indian cuisine and best-selling cookbook author. Having known and worked with Noorbanu for two decades, Karen Anderson is proud to carry on Noorbanu's legacy of teaching and writing about Indian cooking.
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Updated December 12, 2022
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Photograph: Jillian Atkinson

Why It Works

  • This coconut-laced stew can be made with either dried or canned pigeon peas.

This dish is easy to make and is especially delicious with mandazi, or sweet coconut donuts. When the Nimji family lived in Africa, vegetable peddlers went door to door to sell their freshly shelled pigeon peas. Noorbanu would buy them and make bharazi and mandazi for the family’s breakfast, which is when they were traditionally eaten.

Recipe by Noorbanu Nimji, from A Spicy Touch, copyright © 2020 by Noorbanu Nimji and Karen Anderson. Reprinted with permission of TouchWood Editions.

February 2021

Recipe Details

Bharazi (Pigeon Peas in Coconut Cream) Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 55 mins
Active 30 to 40 mins
Soaking Time 8 hrs
Total 9 hrs 5 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry pigeon peas or 1 (19-ounce; 540 ml) can pigeon peas (use black pigeon peas)

  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

  • 1 tablespoon finely cut onion

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped tomato (1 small)

  • 1 (13-ounce; 394 ml) can coconut milk or cream

  • 1/4 teaspoon Indian chile powder

  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric, optional

  • 1 whole chile, slit down the sides (jalapeño or serrano)

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon green chile paste and/or sambal oelek, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon finely cut coriander leaves

Directions

  1. Soak the dry pigeon peas in water overnight then rinse in several changes of water, drain, then add 2 cups of fresh water and the peas to a saucepan and boil on high until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

  2. Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until light gold, then add the tomatoes and cook till soft and mushy.

  3. Stir in the coconut milk or cream, chilli powder, turmeric (if using), whole chilli, garlic and chilli paste, and lemon juice together and cook on medium-high heat till it comes to a boil.

  4. Stir in the cooked (or canned) pigeon peas, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

  5. Add the coriander leaves and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

  6. Enjoy with Mandazi for an amazing breakfast treat or as a vegetarian meal with coconut rice.

Notes

If you remember to soak dried pigeon peas overnight, the recipe will come together quickly, or you can keep canned pigeon peas on hand. Though the dish will cost a little more to make, it's still very inexpensive.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
415Calories
25gFat
41gCarbs
13gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories415
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g32%
Saturated Fat 19g93%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 46mg2%
Total Carbohydrate 41g15%
Dietary Fiber 11g40%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 27mg136%
Calcium 95mg7%
Iron 5mg29%
Potassium 1126mg24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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