Black-eyed peas simmered in a palm oil and tomato base with ripe plantain on the side, the classic Ghanaian bean stew known as red red.
Red red gets its name from its two red components: black-eyed peas stewed in a deep-red palm oil and tomato sauce, served alongside sweet fried ripe plantain that turns a similar red-gold color as it caramelizes. It's one of Ghana's most common everyday dishes, sold at chop bars and cooked at home in roughly equal measure, and it's naturally vegan unless fish is added. The beans are simmered slowly with onion, tomato, ginger and often a little smoked fish or shrimp for depth, then finished with red palm oil, which gives the stew its distinctive color and a faintly nutty, earthy flavor unlike any other cooking fat. Getting the palm oil to bloom properly β heating it briefly until it turns from bright orange to a deeper red β is a small but important step that unlocks its flavor. The fried plantain is not a garnish here but an equal partner: its sweetness is deliberately built to contrast with the savory, slightly spicy beans. A good red red should taste rich and slightly smoky from the palm oil, with the plantain providing sweet relief between spoonfuls of the stew.
Serves 4
Simmer soaked black-eyed peas in fresh water until tender, about 40 minutes, then drain and set aside, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.
Heat red palm oil in a pot over medium heat until it deepens in color slightly, about 1 minute, then add onion and cook until soft.
Don't let the palm oil smoke or it turns bitter β heat it just until the color deepens.
Stir in garlic, ginger, tomatoes, tomato paste and scotch bonnet. Cook 10 minutes until the raw tomato smell is gone and the oil separates slightly at the edges.
Add the cooked beans, smoked paprika, salt and a splash of the reserved bean liquid. Simmer 15 minutes until thickened and cohesive.
While the stew simmers, fry the ripe plantain slices in vegetable oil until deep golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Spoon the bean stew into bowls and serve with the fried plantain arranged alongside.
Use overripe, heavily black-spotted plantains β the sweeter they are, the better the contrast against the savory beans.
Real red palm oil (not the refined, deodorized kind) gives the stew its characteristic earthy flavor; look for it in African grocery stores.
Leave the scotch bonnet whole and unbroken if you want flavor without intense heat; pierce or chop it if you want the stew spicier.
Add smoked fish or dried shrimp when building the stew base for a more traditional coastal flavor.
Use canned black-eyed peas to cut the cooking time to about 20 minutes total.
Serve with gari (toasted cassava granules) instead of or alongside the fried plantain.
Refrigerate the bean stew up to 4 days; it thickens as it cools, so loosen with a splash of water when reheating. Fry plantain fresh rather than reheating, since it loses its crisp edge.
Red red is a staple of Ghanaian chop bars, the informal roadside eateries found across the country, and its name directly references the red color shared by the palm-oil-stewed beans and the fried ripe plantain served beside them.
You can use vegetable oil, but you'll lose the characteristic red color and earthy flavor that gives the dish its name β palm oil is worth seeking out.
Some cooks blend a small amount of tomato paste and paprika into vegetable oil to approximate the color, though the flavor will be milder than real palm oil.
The plantains probably aren't ripe enough β wait until the skin is heavily black-spotted or fully black, since underripe plantain stays starchy and won't brown well.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) Β· 4 servings total
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