Red red stew
Red red stew
“This dish is so called, I’m told, because it’s coloured red twice – once from the red of the palm oil and a second time from the tomatoes. But there’s a lot of duplication in the titles of dishes in Ghanaian cooking in any case. This stew of black-eyed beans (cowpeas) cooked in a gently spiced tomato sauce is a great vegan dish eaten all day long in Ghana – an alternative to baked beans for breakfast or as a bean casserole for lunch or dinner. Usually eaten with fried plantain, this is tasty, nourishing comfort food that’s super easy to make. ”
Serves 4
DifficultyNot too tricky
Tap For Method
Ingredients
- 200 g (7oz) dried black-eyed beans , or 400g (14oz) tin organic black-eyed beans
- 75 ml (5 tablespoons) sustainable palm oil or carotene oil
- 1 red onion , finely diced
- 2.5 cm (1-inch) piece fresh root ginger , finely grated
- ½ tablespoon dried chilli flakes
- ½ red Scotch bonnet chilli , deseeded and diced
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ tablespoon chilli powder
- 400 g (14oz) tin chopped or whole plum tomatoes
- 200 g (7oz) plum tomatoes , roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- gari , (fermented, dried and ground cassava), for sprinkling
Tap For Method
The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS
Tap For Ingredients
Method
- If using dried beans, rinse and place in a large saucepan, cover with a good depth of water and bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 1 hour or until the beans are tender enough to be squeezed between thumb and forefinger. Drain and set aside. If using tinned beans, just drain, rinse and drain again.
- Melt the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a low–medium heat (palm oil has a low smoke point, so be careful not to let it burn), add the onion, ginger, chilli flakes and Scotch bonnet and sauté gently for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the curry and chilli powders and stir well.
- Add all the tomatoes, tomato purée, sea salt and black pepper and stir through. Leave to cook over a medium heat for 45 to 60 minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down. If you want a smooth sauce, blend with a stick blender at this point.
- Add the cooked or drained canned beans, reduce the heat to medium–low and cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the beans don’t stick to the pan, until the beans are tender and the tartness of tomatoes has dissipated.
- Check the seasoning before serving in a bowl with some gari sprinkled on top.
Tips
– If using tinned chopped tomatoes, add them 20 minutes into the cooking time or stir in 1 tablespoon sugar to counterbalance the tartness of the tomatoes.
– Delicious served with a side of Simple Fried Plantain (see page 42 of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen for the recipe).
© 2022 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited
© 2022 Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited