Red Red (Ghanaian Bean Stew)

Updated on April 7th, 2023. Originally posted on April 4th, 2021. (Video and Recipe both have been updated)

Hello there!

If you have read my previous post (if not, go ahead and click here darling), you now know that I traveled to Ghana two weeks ago to fulfill my duties as a witness to my bestie’s very intimate wedding.

While in Ghana I had the pleasure of eating all the dishes I didn’t manage to eat during my first trip in 2018: yes, I took it as a mission to come back to Romania with +2kg.

Today’s dish is one of my new favorite Ghanaian dishes: Red Red, also known as Ghanaian Bean Stew.

I’m a big fan of bean stews because, even though they’re usually quite basic, they’re still very rich in flavor, plus they’re easy to make and they are also budget-friendly, so you already know I’m all for it.

I really like Red Red because it can be eaten at any time of the day (breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner) and it can be served alone or with plantains, cassava, yams and even rice… Versatile much?!

The name Red Red comes from the color of the oil used in the recipe: palm oil. I know what the media (Western media) have said about palm oil over the past 10 years and defending palm oil is a hill I will die on lol. No seriously, like for most areas in life, quality and moderation is the key!

If you live outside of Africa or Asia, all the spices and ingredients used in this recipe can be easily found at every grocery store with the exception of ground crayfish and toasted cassava (the cassava is optional though); no worries, you can find them at your local “ethnic store”. I particularly insist on the dried crayfish because I see it as a game changer in every recipe, it adds that je ne sais quoi mixed with a slight smokey flavor that cannot easily be replaced… so, yeah, go get it, you won’t be disappointed!

Palm Oil, Onion and Pepper

Without further ado, here’s the recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Red Red (Ghanaian Black Eyed Peas)

Course: MainCuisine: African
Servings

5

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

2

hours 
Resting Time

6

hours

Ingredients

  • 150g Black-eyed peas

  • 6 Garlic cloves (minced)

  • 1 tablespoon Ginger (minced)

  • 1 Tomato (minced)

  • 130g Palm oil

  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

  • 1 Scotch-bonnet pepper (optional)

  • 1 large Red Onion

  • 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

  • 100g Smoked Salted Fish (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons ground Crayfish

  • 1 teaspoon Bouillon Powder

  • 2 tablespoons Toasted Cassava/Farofa (optional)

Directions

  • Soak the beans overnight.
  • Drain and rinse the beans.
  • Add beans to a large pot (or pressure cooker) pour enough water to cover the beans.
  • Add in the leek and salt. Cook until tender.
  • Remove the leek, chop it and set aside. Drain the cooked beans.
  • Blend the tomato, cooked leek, ginger and garlic.
  • Heat up the oil in large saucepan. Add in the onions (and pepper, optional). Stir and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Remove the pepper.
  • Add in the blended tomato, tomato paste, bouillon, fish and crayfish. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the oil has separated from the tomato sauce.
  • adding water if needed to prevent burns. Salt to taste.
  • Add in the beans. Stir, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
  • Once done, turn the heat off and smash half of the beans.
  • Stir and serve with fried plantains, yam, toasted cassava or rice.

Recipe Video

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