Black-Eyed Pea Stew (Red Red)
Red red is a Ghanaian black-eyed pea stew named for the color red palm oil gives it. This version builds that same brick-red depth with no added fat: tomato paste cooked hard in a dry pot, sweet paprika, and a whole pierced habanero standing in for the richness and color palm oil would otherwise supply. Black-eyed peas need no soaking and hold together while the sauce around them turns thick and glossy, so the whole dish cooks in one pot. Spoon it over millet, another West African staple, and let the peas carry the meal instead of the oil.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Black-eyed peas, dried, rinsed
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
- 1 Habanero, left whole, pierced once (or minced for more heat)
- 1 Bell pepper, red, diced
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Sweet paprika
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 1 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 2 Scallions, sliced, to finish
- 1 cup Millet, dried, cooked, to serve
Method
- Put the diced onion in a wide pot with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water over medium heat. Cook, stirring and splashing in more water whenever it catches, until soft and turning gold, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and the whole pierced habanero and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Leaving the chile whole lets it perfume the pot without turning every bite fiery; mince it instead if you want real heat throughout.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook it alone for 2 minutes, pressing it against the pot, until it darkens to brick red and smells sweet rather than sharp. This step stands in for palm oil: it is where the color and the rounded depth come from.
- Add the diced bell pepper, sweet paprika, and crushed tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens slightly and turns a deep red.
- Rinse the black-eyed peas (they need no soaking) and add them to the pot with the thyme sprigs, the no-salt bouillon, and 3 cups (720 ml) water. Bring to a boil, then drop to a gentle simmer.
- Cover partway and cook until the peas are fully tender and the sauce has pulled in around them, 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally, add water if the pot runs dry, and mash a few peas against the side in the last 10 minutes to thicken the sauce further.
- Remove the habanero and thyme stems. Taste: if the sauce needs lift, more paprika does the job salt usually would. Spoon over the cooked millet and finish with the sliced scallions.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 395 calories, 18 g protein, 15 g fiber, 150 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
