Ghanaian Red Red: Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Fried Plantain and Ripe Tomato

Simmer the soaked black-eyed peas in plenty of unsalted water for 35 to 45 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained (or 3 cups cooked)
• 1/4 cup red palm oil (or 3 tbsp neutral oil plus 1 tsp sweet paprika)
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 lb (700 g) ripe farmers-market tomatoes, blended smooth (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 scotch bonnet or habanero chili, whole or minced to taste
• 1 tsp ground dried shrimp or 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 very ripe plantains, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2-inch thick
• Neutral oil, for frying the plantain
• Chopped red onion and fresh chili, to finish

Instructions

1. Simmer the soaked black-eyed peas in plenty of unsalted water for 35 to 45 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Warm the red palm oil in a heavy pot over medium heat until it loosens and turns bright orange. Do not let it smoke, which turns the flavor bitter.
3. Add the diced red onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes until soft and beginning to color, then stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and fry it for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing it against the bottom of the pot until it darkens to brick red and smells sweet rather than sharp.
5. Pour in the blended fresh tomatoes, add the scotch bonnet and the ground dried shrimp, and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and the oil rises to the surface in a red slick. That separation is the sign the stew is ready.
6. Fold in the cooked black-eyed peas with a splash of the reserved cooking liquid, season with the salt and black pepper, and simmer gently for 10 minutes so the peas take on the sauce. Add more liquid if it tightens too far; it should be spoonable, not dry.
7. While the stew finishes, heat 1/2 inch of neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the plantain slices in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep gold and caramelized at the edges, then drain on paper towels and salt them lightly.
8. Fish out the whole chili if you used it, taste the stew and adjust the salt. It should be rich, faintly sweet from the tomato and warm rather than searing.
9. Spoon the stew into bowls, lay the fried plantain alongside, and finish with raw chopped red onion and fresh chili for bite.
10. Red red takes its name from the double red of palm oil and ripe tomato, and it is one of the great everyday dinners of Ghana, sold from roadside pots and cooked at home on weeknights. The plantain is not a garnish but half the dish: its caramel sweetness is what balances the savory, faintly smoky beans. Buy plantains that look almost too far gone, black-freckled and soft to the squeeze, because that is when their sugars are ready to fry.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 584 kcal
• Protein: 19g
• Fat: 21g
• Carbohydrates: 84g
• Fiber: 14g
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 820mg