Nigerian Ewa Agoyin (Mashed Beans in Pepper Sauce)

About This Recipe

Ewa agoyin gets its name from the Agoyin community of Lagos street vendors who made this dish famous: honey beans (a small, sweeter brown bean) boiled until completely soft, mashed roughly, and topped with a bold sauce of dried peppers fried in palm oil until dark, smoky and intensely savory. It's one of Nigeria's most iconic street breakfasts, usually eaten with soft bread called agege bread. The beans need a long, unhurried simmer — they should be soft enough to mash with just a spoon, not still holding their shape, which is different from most other Nigerian bean dishes that keep some bite. The pepper sauce (called stew or 'agoyin sauce') is made separately by blending dried chile with onion, then frying that paste in red palm oil until the oil turns a deep orange-red and the raw pepper smell disappears completely, sometimes for 20 minutes or more. A small amount of fresh mint isn't classic to ewa agoyin, but some modern Lagos food stalls have started finishing the dish with a light herb garnish for freshness against the heavy, oily sauce — this version includes that touch while keeping the mashed beans and pepper sauce true to form.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupshoney beans(or black-eyed peas, soaked 1 hour)
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.75 cupred palm oil
• 6dried red chiles(soaked and blended)
• 1onion(half blended, half sliced)
• 1beef stock cube
• 0.5 tspground crayfish(optional)
• 10fresh mint leaves(torn, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the beans

   Boil the soaked beans in plenty of water with salt for 50 to 60 minutes, topping up water as needed, until completely soft and starting to break apart.

2. 2

   Mash the beans

   Drain most of the excess water and mash the beans roughly with a wooden spoon or potato masher until mostly smooth with some texture remaining.

3. 3

   Fry the onion

   In a separate pan, heat palm oil until it becomes clear (loses its raw red color and smell), about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add sliced onion and fry 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the pepper sauce

   Add blended chile and onion paste, stock cube and ground crayfish. Fry over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes until the sauce darkens deeply and the oil separates on top.

5. 5

   Serve

   Spoon mashed beans onto plates, top generously with the pepper sauce, and scatter torn mint on top. Serve with agege bread or soft bread rolls.

Variations

• •

  Use black-eyed peas if honey beans aren't available; the texture is close enough for a home version.

• •

  Add a spoon of ground dried shrimp to the pepper sauce for extra umami depth.

• •

  Serve with sliced boiled plantain instead of bread for a more filling meal.

Storage

Refrigerate beans and sauce separately up to 4 days. The pepper sauce actually improves in flavor after a day; reheat both gently and combine before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions