Ingredients
Beans
- 400 gdried black-eyed peas, nyebbe
- water, for soaking
Base
- 3onions, chopped
- 6garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 tablespoonsoil, or red palm oil
- 3 tablespoonstomato paste
- 4tomatoes, blended
- 1stock cube
- 1hot chilli, whole
Fish
- 400 gsmoked or dried fish, flaked
- or 500 g fresh fish, in thick pieces
- 1 tablespoonground dried shrimp, optional
To finish
- 1 litrewater or stock
- salt and black pepper
- a handful of chopped parsley
To serve
- plain white rice
- sliced raw onion
- chilli sauce
Directions
- Rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Cover them deeply with cold water in a large bowl. Leave them overnight, or for at least six hours. They swell to about twice their volume.
- Drain and rinse them before cooking. They then take about twice as long. Put the drained beans in a large pot. Cover them all with fresh water. Bring them to a boil over a high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Cook them for about forty-five minutes. Do not add salt at this stage.
- Salt added early can toughen the skins. They should be tender but still hold their shape. Drain them and keep some of the cooking water. Preparing the fish takes a few minutes.
- Soak it in warm water for fifteen minutes to soften it. Flake the flesh off the skin and bones. Check very carefully for bones as you go. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Warm it gently rather than fiercely. Add the chopped onions and cook them slowly. Give them a good ten minutes over a medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook it for one minute more. Stir in all of the tomato paste. Fry it for two minutes to cook out the raw taste. Pour in the blended fresh tomato. Let it cook down for about ten minutes. The oil should separate at the edges of the pot. Add the drained beans to the tomato base. Stir them through until evenly coated. Add the flaked smoked fish now.
- Add the ground dried shrimp if you are using it. Crumble in the stock cube as well. Pour in the water or the stock. Drop the whole chilli into the pot. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Simmering it takes about half an hour. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it cook so the flavours come together.
- Stir it once every ten minutes. Give the fish about ten minutes only. Add bean water if it has thickened too far. Simmer it uncovered if it is too loose. Taste it and adjust the salt again.
- Grind in plenty of black pepper. Serving it is done hot over rice. Pile plain white rice onto each plate. Ladle the stew generously over it. Scatter chopped parsley over the top. Add sliced raw onion on the side. Put chilli sauce on the table. It keeps three days refrigerated.
Technique
- The cowpea was domesticated in West Africa and predates the introduction of American and Asian crops to the region.
- Dishes built on nyebbe appear across Senegal, Gambia and Mali under closely related names.
Substitutions
- Tinned black-eyed peas skip the soaking and boiling entirely.
- Smoked mackerel is a good substitute for African smoked fish.
Variations
- A version with no fish at all is made during fasting.
- Some households add sweet potato or cassava to the pot.
- Related bean stews are eaten across the region with couscous rather than rice.
History
Nyebbe are the region’s oldest cultivated beans, grown long before groundnuts; the stew is a cheap weekday meal in Gambian households.
Frequently asked questions
What is Base nyebbe?
Base nyebbe is a soup & stew from Gambia: black-eyed peas stewed with tomato, onion and fish, served over rice. Nyebbe are the region’s oldest cultivated beans, grown long before groundnuts; the stew is a cheap weekday meal in Gambian households.
How long does Base nyebbe take to make?
Base nyebbe takes 20 minutes plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Base nyebbe?
Yes, within limits. Tinned black-eyed peas skip the soaking and boiling entirely. Smoked mackerel is a good substitute for African smoked fish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Base nyebbe?
Drain and rinse them before cooking. They then take about twice as long. Put the drained beans in a large pot. Cover them all with fresh water. Bring them to a boil over a high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Cook them for about forty-five minutes. Do not add salt at this stage.
