Black-eyed peas simmered in a palm oil and tomato sauce, served alongside sweet fried plantain, a beloved everyday Ghanaian dish.
Ghanaian Red Red is a real, traditional Ghanaian dish, known as Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Fried Plantain. Black-eyed peas simmered in a palm oil and tomato sauce, served alongside sweet fried plantain, a beloved everyday Ghanaian dish.\n\nRed Red gets its name from the reddish hue of both the palm oil-cooked beans and the fried plantain, and it's one of Ghana's most common and beloved vegetarian-friendly dishes, sold widely from roadside food stalls.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Ghanaian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.
Serves 6
Simmer the soaked black-eyed peas in water until tender, about 45 minutes; drain, reserving some cooking liquid.
Heat red palm oil in a pot and cook the onion until soft, about 8 minutes.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, scotch bonnet and ginger, and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
Stir in the cooked black-eyed peas, adding a splash of the reserved cooking liquid if needed to loosen.
Simmer for another 15 minutes until the flavors meld, then season with salt.
Fry the sliced ripe plantain in hot oil until golden on both sides, then serve alongside the bean stew.
Red palm oil is essential to the dish's signature color and flavor — a substitute like vegetable oil will change the character significantly.
Use very ripe plantains for frying, since their natural sweetness balances the savory, slightly spicy bean stew.
Soak the black-eyed peas overnight for more even, faster cooking.
Add smoked fish or shrimp to the bean stew for extra protein.
Some households add a bit of grated garden egg (African eggplant) to the sauce.
A version without palm oil uses vegetable oil for a lighter, though less traditional, result.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.
Red Red gets its name from the reddish hue of both the palm oil-cooked beans and the fried plantain, and it's one of Ghana's most common and beloved vegetarian-friendly dishes, sold widely from roadside food stalls.
African and Caribbean grocery stores typically carry it; look for unrefined red palm oil for the most authentic color and flavor.
Yes, this saves considerable time — just skip the initial boiling step and add the drained canned beans directly to the sauce.
Using regular vegetable oil instead of red palm oil is the most common reason for a lighter color; red palm oil gives the dish its characteristic deep reddish hue.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 6 servings total
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