Beans Stew with Coconut Oil

Black-eyed peas stew or beans stew is a Ghanaian favourite. Usually eaten with ripe fried plantains, this combination is commonly known as called red-red. The name comes from the reddish-orange tinge of the palm oil typically used to make the stew and the orange colour from the accompanying fried plantains with which the stew is usually eaten.

If you like lentils, chickpea curry or any type of legume, you'll love this beans stew.

Ingredients

• Black-eyed peas or beans (the name under which they are more commonly known) are actually beans and not peas but whatever the nomenclature, we can all agree that they are delicious.
• Blended tomatoes - these are an essential part of making beans stew. You can also chop the tomatoes into small pieces.
• Smoked mackerel - adds some protein to the stew but any other fish can be used.
• Shrimp powder - adds incredible flavour to this stew.
• Onions - an essential in every Ghanaian stew.
• Scotch bonnet - a bit of heat is always great.
• Coconut oil - typically palm oil is used for this stew but coconut oil lends a tasty note to this dish. Any other vegetable oil can also be used to make this tasty dish.

Instructions

First, cook the beans until soft. Cooking the black-eyed peas or beans goes faster if you soak them overnight or you add a bit of baking powder or even a bit of saltpetre. This shortens the cooking time significantly.

The next step is to prepare the base. Fry the onions in the coconut oil and then add the tomatoes and the shrimp powder. After leaving it to simmer, add the smoked fish. When the base stew is almost cooked add the cooked beans into the stew and simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.

This stew is best eaten with ripe fried plantains but it is also very delicious with plain boiled rice or boiled ripe plantains.

If you are going for an aesthetic vibe and you want your beans to look whole and not crushed, then you need to keep that in mind while cooking. If you prefer your beans to be very soft like in this recipe then that choice is yours.

To be honest, it does not matter as long as the beans stew tastes good.

Substitutions and Variations

• Palm oil - when you mention Red-Red in Ghana, everyone knows that this means fried ripe plantain and beans stew (the original made with palm oil).
• Canned tuna - whether chunky or flaky, you can use canned fish in place of smoked mackerel to make beans stew.
• Stock cubes - in the absence of shrimp powder, you can use shrimp stock cubes.
• Extra sides - as additional sides, you can add sliced avocado or/and eggs to the beans stew.
• Seafood allergy - if you have an allergy to seafood replace the shrimp powder with fish powder.
• Hot pepper - reduce the number of scotch bonnets or any other hot peppers if you can't stand the heat.

Storage

You can make large amounts of this stew, portion it into smaller containers and freeze it for later use (this is what I do). The stew will last for at least 3 months in the freezer without any issues. Before heating the stew, make sure that it is completely thawed.

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