To make black eyed peas, pour peas into a large bowl. Cover with water. Soak 8 hours or preferably overnight. When ready to cook, drain and rinse.

Fill large stock pot halfway with water. Bring to boil. Pour in black eyed peas. Add whole garlic cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves. When beans return to boil, cover, reduce to simmer and cook until just tender, an hour to an hour and a half (fresh peas, ironically, may require longer cooking time than dried).

Drain black eyed peas, discard garlic cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns. Black eyed peas may be prepared ahead a day or two up to this point and refrigerated.

To proceed — heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped garlic, onions and pepper. Stir. Reduce heat to medium and stir until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander, and cook, stirring, for another few minutes, until fragrant.

Wash okra and pat dry. Discard pods that are other than green and firm yet yielding to pressure. Chop okra into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over okra, toss to coat, then add okra to the pot of sauteed vegetables. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Add canned tomatoes and water or broth. Stir in black eyed peas. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce to simmer and let it go for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occssionally.

Squeeze in the remaining lemon. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serves 6 to 8. Keeps refrigerated for up to a week and the flavor improves over time. Stored into a freezer-friendly container, it keeps in the freezer indefinitely.