Red Red (Black eyed beans stew with fried Plantain)

'Red, Red' is a popular vegetarian Ghanaian dish made from Black eyed beans and Plantain.  The distinct name 'Red, Red' is due to using palm oil. There are different variation to this dish which includes using coconut oil, (my personal favourite) 

 My childhood memory of this dish included the arduous task of picking the perfect black eyed beans from the tiny stones and imperfect ones. This process could take as long as an hour or slightly more and your anticipation and excitement relied on the nod your Mum gave, for her approval. 

Try and be creative with this dish, add any herb you prefer for the added twist. I made a version with sage and chunks of onion. 

You can get perfectly picked black eyed beans in most grocers, so why not try this recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

450g of Black eyed beans (soaked overnight in 1.5 litres of water)

1 litre of water

Thinly sliced 2 large white inions

2 tablespoons of Palm oil (Zomi, spiced palm oil)

4 large blended tomatoes

15 g of grated ginger

1 finely diced habanero chilli (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD:

Drain the water from the soaked beans and run it under the tap for about a minute. 

Pour the water into a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

Add the beans and cook for about 37 -45 minutes. (I prefer my beans with a slight bite hence I cook it for 30 minutes)

Scoop the cooked beans into a  bowl and pour the juice into a container.

 Using the same saucepan(saving on washing) place it on a medium heat

Melt the palm oil and add the onions

Fry for about 2 minutes and add the diced chilli

Fry for 1 minute and add the grated ginger. Fry for 2 minutes and add the blended tomatoes. 

Cook on a medium heat for about 13 minutes or until the sauce holds a double cream consistency . 

See video by clicking on the link below,

http://instagram.com/p/w1i9WIMK1y/

Add the beans to the sauce and scoop 4 tablespoons of it's juice to the sauce. 

Cook for a further 7 minutes or until the beans has absorbed the juice. 

Add salt and pepper to taste

 

Best served with Gari (a West African staple made out of cassava, with a resemblance to couscous ) and fried plantain. (Recipe coming soon)

All photos are by the owner of this blog.