Here's How Long You Should Soak And Cook Black Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas — the legume, not will.i.am and company — may be best known as a lucky food to eat for New Year's Day. As their legend goes, since they resemble coins, they'll attract more of the same to your pocket. Although it seems likely that countless people have failed to become wealthy despite eating them year after year, they've nonetheless reached the level of tradition, so their status is pretty sacrosanct despite the lack of proof of prosperity-inducing properties.

While canned black-eyed peas are easier and quicker to cook, the dried kind is regarded as luckier since the peas swell up as they cook, just as your wallet is expected to do after eating them. Your wallet won't shrink much either since dried peas tend to be budget-friendly.

When it comes to cooking, you should soak the peas in water for 12 hours or overnight, although if you forget this step, you can also cover them with water, let it boil, turn it off, and short-soak the peas for an hour. Once they're sufficiently soaked, you'll need to simmer the peas for 45 minutes to an hour.

One more "lucky" tip if you're still looking to maximize their prosperity potential: Cook them in pork broth, because pigs move forward as they eat. Chicken broth is out since chickens tend to move backward, while beef is also not a good choice since cows wander all over the map.

Black-eyed peas are often served with collard greens, both on New Year's Day and Kwanzaa. Like the peas, the greens hold symbolic significance: Through some type of sympathetic magic, they're meant to attract more green (of the folding kind) into your billfold. If you're not a fan of greens, there is one other traditional New Year's dish that uses black eyes peas, that being the soul food classic Hoppin' John. Hoppin' John is seasoned with ham hocks or bacon and may also include the Cajun holy trinity of bell peppers, celery, and onion.

Yet another way to enjoy black-eyed peas is to use them in akara, which is a Nigerian plant-based fritter. To make akara, the peas are typically boiled as described above, then rubbed to remove the skins, The naked beans are then combined with onions and peppers, seasoned with salt, and blended into a paste with a tiny bit of water. The resulting dough is formed into small discs which are fried in oil to make patties that are pretty tasty on their own. They're even better, though, if served with a spicy dipping sauce.