Red Red, Ghanaian Black Eyed Pea Stew

Red Red is the Ghanaian bean stew that gets its name from the colour, a deep red that traditionally came from red palm oil and ripe tomato. We make ours with olive oil and build the colour and depth from tomato, onion and Shito instead.

Served with fried plantain, it is one of the great cheap, filling, deeply savoury meals, and it holds up for days.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tins black eyed peas, drained and rinsed, or 300g dried, soaked overnight and cooked until tender
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 thumb of ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Coast of Gold Shito Pepper Sauce, Medium or Hot
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 250ml water or stock
• 2 ripe plantains, the skins should be yellow with black patches
• Olive oil for frying the plantain

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook it slowly, ten minutes, until soft and sweet. Do not rush this, it is where the flavour starts.
2. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook two minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it out for three minutes, until it darkens and loses its raw edge.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, the Shito, the salt and the water. Stir well.
5. Add the black eyed peas. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down and leave it for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens and the colour deepens.
6. While it simmers, slice the plantains on the diagonal, about a centimetre thick. Fry in olive oil over medium heat, three minutes a side, until golden and caramelised at the edges. Drain on paper and salt lightly.
7. Taste the stew and adjust the salt. Add another spoon of Shito if you want more heat.
8. Serve the stew with the plantain alongside, and a spoon of Shito on top.

Notes

The plantain must be ripe. Green plantain will be starchy and will not caramelise. Yellow with black patches is what you want.

This is better on day two. Make it ahead if you can.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called Red Red?

For the colour. The stew is red from tomato, and traditionally the plantain was fried in red palm oil, which is also red. Two reds, hence the name. Coast of Gold recipes use olive oil.

Can I make Red Red without plantain?

You can serve it with rice, but the fried plantain is the point. The sweetness against the savoury, spicy stew is the whole dish. Sweet potato fried the same way is the closest substitute.

Is Red Red vegan?

This version is. Black eyed peas, vegetables, olive oil and Coast of Gold Shito, which is plant based. The Shito contains soy.