Ingredients
Beans
- 500 gdried bambara beans, aboboe
- water, for soaking
- 2 litreswater, for boiling
- 1 teaspoonsalt
To dress
- 150 mlred palm oil
- or zomi, seasoned palm oil
- 2onions, sliced
- 3 tablespoonsground dried chilli
- 1stock cube
- salt to taste
To serve
- sliced raw onion
- gari, on the side
- fried fish, optional
Directions
- Rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Put them in a large bowl and cover deeply with water. Leave them overnight, or for a full day. Change the water once if you can. Drain them and rinse them well. Put the drained beans in a large pot.
- Cover them with the fresh water. Bring it to a boil over a high heat. Skim off any foam that rises up. Cover the pot loosely with a lid. Let them cook for about two hours. Check the water level every half hour. Top up with hot water as needed. The beans should always be covered. Add the salt only in the last twenty minutes.
- Salt added early can toughen the skins. Testing them tells you when they are done. Take out a few beans and press them. They should crush easily between your fingers. Drain them, keeping a little of the cooking water.
- Heat the palm oil in a pan over a medium heat. Do not let it smoke, which makes it acrid. Add the sliced onions to the pan. Fry them slowly until soft and golden. Give them a good ten minutes there.
- Add the ground dried chilli to it. Fry it for one minute and no more. Chilli burns very quickly in hot oil. Crumble in the stock cube as well. Take the pan right off the heat. Put the hot drained beans in a large bowl. Pour the hot spiced oil over them.
- Turn everything together thoroughly. Every bean should be coated in red oil. Add a splash of the cooking water if it is dry. Taste it and adjust the salt again. It should be strongly seasoned and clearly hot.
- Spoon it into bowls with plenty of the oil. Scatter sliced raw onion over the top. Serve gari on the side to sprinkle over. It gives crunch against the soft beans.
Technique
- Bambara groundnut is one of the few major crops domesticated in West Africa and predates the arrival of American beans.
- It is nutritionally substantial and grows where other legumes fail, which is why it remains important.
Substitutions
- Black-eyed beans can be used and cook far faster, though they are not the same dish.
- Zomi, the pre-seasoned palm oil, replaces the plain oil and onion step entirely.
Variations
- Some stalls serve it with boiled plantain alongside.
- A version with more chilli is made for those who want it hot.
- Aboboe with gari and fried fish makes a fuller meal.
History
A cheap Ga street breakfast built on bambara groundnut, an indigenous West African legume grown long before imported beans.
Frequently asked questions
What is Aboboe?
Aboboe is a street food from Ghana: boiled bambara beans doused in palm oil and pepper, sold in bowls. A cheap Ga street breakfast built on bambara groundnut, an indigenous West African legume grown long before imported beans.
How long does Aboboe take to make?
Aboboe takes 15 minutes plus overnight soaking of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Aboboe?
Yes, within limits. Black-eyed beans can be used and cook far faster, though they are not the same dish. Zomi, the pre-seasoned palm oil, replaces the plain oil and onion step entirely.
What is the most important thing to get right in Aboboe?
Heat the palm oil in a pan over a medium heat. Do not let it smoke, which makes it acrid. Add the sliced onions to the pan. Fry them slowly until soft and golden. Give them a good ten minutes there.
