Ambrevades au coco

Ingredients

Peas

• 400 gdried pigeon peas, ambrevades
• or 800 g fresh or frozen pigeon peas
• water, for soaking

Base

• 2onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 1 teaspoonground turmeric
• 1 teaspoonground cumin

Coconut

• 400 mlthick coconut milk
• 300 mlthin coconut milk or water

To finish

• salt to taste
• 1chilli, whole
• a handful of coriander

To serve

• plain rice
• grilled fish
• achard, pickled vegetables

Directions

1. Rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Cover them deeply with water in a bowl. Leave them to soak there overnight. They swell to about twice their volume.
2. Drain and rinse them in the morning. Put the drained peas in a pot of fresh water. Bring them up to a full rolling boil. Skim off any foam that rises up. Give them about forty-five minutes.
3. Salt added early can toughen the skins. Drain them, keeping some of the cooking water. Grate a mature coconut and squeeze it hard. The first squeezing gives thick milk. Add warm water and squeeze again for thin milk. Let a tin settle and spoon off the thick top. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot.
4. Fry the onions until soft and golden. Give them a good eight minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger. Cook them for about two minutes. Add the turmeric and the cumin. Fry the spices for a minute until fragrant.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes to it. Cook them down for five minutes. Add the drained cooked peas to the pot. Stir them through the spiced base. Pour in the thin coconut milk. Add the whole chilli to the pot. Bring it up to a gentle simmer.
6. Cook it for about fifteen minutes. The peas take on the flavour of the base. Turn the heat right down to low. Pour in the thick coconut milk. Stir it through the pot gently. Never let it boil hard after the thick milk goes in. Keep it at a bare tremble for ten minutes. The sauce should thicken around the peas.
7. Add salt and taste it carefully. Coconut milk needs a good deal of salt. Scatter chopped coriander over the top. Serving it is done hot with rice.

Technique

• The pigeon pea travelled from South Asia across the Indian Ocean and is now grown throughout the region and the Caribbean.
• In the Comoros and Mayotte it is one of the most important legumes.

Substitutions

• Tinned pigeon peas skip the soaking and boiling entirely.
• Black-eyed beans or chickpeas can be used, though neither tastes the same.

Variations

• Some households add smoked or salted fish to the pot.
• A version with cinnamon and clove is made in some families.
• The same dish is made in Mauritius and Reunion under the same French name.

History

Pigeon peas in coconut milk; the pea came from India through Indian Ocean trade and grows well on the islands’ volcanic slopes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ambrevades au coco?

Ambrevades au coco is a salad & side from Comoros: pigeon peas stewed in coconut milk. Pigeon peas in coconut milk; the pea came from India through Indian Ocean trade and grows well on the islands’ volcanic slopes.

How long does Ambrevades au coco take to make?

Ambrevades au coco takes 20 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ambrevades au coco?

Yes, within limits. Tinned pigeon peas skip the soaking and boiling entirely. Black-eyed beans or chickpeas can be used, though neither tastes the same.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ambrevades au coco?

Add the chopped tomatoes to it. Cook them down for five minutes. Add the drained cooked peas to the pot. Stir them through the spiced base. Pour in the thin coconut milk. Add the whole chilli to the pot. Bring it up to a gentle simmer.