Ingredients
Beans
- 400 gdried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
- or 3 tins black-eyed peas, drained
Stew
- 200 mlred palm oil
- 2onions, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- 1thumb ginger, grated
- 4tomatoes, chopped
- 3 tbsptomato paste
- 2scotch bonnet chillies, chopped
- 2 tbspground dried crayfish, if wanted
- 1stock cube
- 1 tspdried thyme
- salt
Plantain
- 4ripe plantains, yellow with black spots
- 500 mlvegetable oil, for frying
- salt
To serve
- gari, dried grated cassava, if wanted
- avocado slices
Directions
- Rinse the black-eyed peas and pick over them for stones. Cover them with plenty of cold water and soak them overnight. Drain them and discard the soaking water. Put them in a pot with fresh water. Bring them to the boil and simmer for forty-five minutes. They should be tender but should hold their shape.
- Drain them and keep some of the cooking liquid. It solidifies at cool temperatures and must be warmed to liquefy. Warm the oil gently only until it is liquid. Do not let it smoke, since overheating scorches it.
- Warm the palm oil in a wide heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them for ten minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies. Cook them for two minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for three minutes. Let it darken, which deepens the whole stew. Add the chopped tomatoes and the thyme. Cook them down for ten minutes into a thick base. Add the drained cooked beans to it. Add the ground crayfish and the stock cube.
- Pour in some of the bean cooking liquid. Season it with salt and taste it. Simmer it uncovered for twenty-five minutes. Stir it occasionally so nothing catches. Mash a few of the beans against the side of the pot. Judging the consistency tells you when it is done. Add hot liquid if it has gone too stiff. They must be ripe, with yellow skin and black patches.
- Squeeze one gently: it should give but not feel mushy. Cut the ends off and peel the skin away in strips. Cut them into thick diagonal slices. Frying them needs a moderate heat. Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 170C. Too hot and the outside blackens while the middle stays raw.
- Fry the slices for three minutes on the first side. They should be deep golden with darker caramelised edges. Turn them once and fry for two minutes more. Do not turn them repeatedly, since they break up.
- Lift them onto a rack lined with paper. Salt them lightly while still hot. Salt on sweet fried plantain is what makes it work. Serving it is done piping hot. Spoon the bean stew onto a plate. Lay the fried plantain slices beside it, not on top. Sprinkle gari over the stew if you want.
Technique
- Red palm oil is used in quantity and is what gives the dish its colour; refined oil is not a substitute.
- The plantains must be ripe, since green ones will not caramelise.
- Salt the fried plantain while hot, as salt against the sweetness is the point.
Substitutions
- Tinned black-eyed peas, which most households use on a weekday.
- Ground dried shrimp in place of crayfish.
Variations
- With smoked fish added to the stew.
- Made hotter, with more scotch bonnet.
- Served with boiled rice instead of plantain.
History
Black-eyed bean stew reddened by palm oil and served with fried plantain; the doubled name comes from oil and plantain both glowing red.
Frequently asked questions
What is Red red?
Red red is a main from Ghana: black-eyed pea palm-oil stew with fried ripe plantain. Black-eyed bean stew reddened by palm oil and served with fried plantain; the doubled name comes from oil and plantain both glowing red.
How long does Red red take to make?
Red red takes 20 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hour 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Red red?
Yes, within limits. Tinned black-eyed peas, which most households use on a weekday. Ground dried shrimp in place of crayfish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Red red?
Drain them and keep some of the cooking liquid. It solidifies at cool temperatures and must be warmed to liquefy. Warm the oil gently only until it is liquid. Do not let it smoke, since overheating scorches it.
