Red Red (African Stewed Black-Eyed Peas)
This hearty, no-fuss red red recipe is an African-style black-eyed pea stew. Rustic yet flavorful and simple with tomatoes, it’s enjoyed widely throughout Ghana and the rest of West Africa.
Here, in the United States, black-eyed peas are best known in the South as a good luck and prosperity meal. In Africa, it is an everyday, year-round meal, used in all forms, ground, dried, and fresh. They’re a good source of protein and, may I add, very affordable.
Lately, there has been more interest in them, and many home cooks and chefs are transforming these nutritious legumes into exquisite meals. Don’t quote me on this, but rumor has it that the red palm oil and tomato sauce are why we call it red red.f
These beans always make everything better for me, especially after a rough week. I happily eat them for breakfast with puff puff (one of my all-time comfort breakfasts) or serve them with fried plantains for lunch. When I’m on a health kick, I grill or roast the plantains. Their mild taste, smooth texture, and slightly smoky flavor complement their meaty flavor. And they really do have a nice bite compared to other beans.
Are They Peas or Beans?
For those who get upset when we call these little guys beans, let’s set the record straight. Black-eyed peas are, in fact, beans. True peas, though still part of the legume family, are a different genus.
That means, if you can’t find them where you are, you can make this recipe with black, red, white, or any other type of bean you have on hand. Just don’t forget to adjust the cooking time.
How to Make African Stewed Black-Eyed Peas
- Soak the black-eyed peas for 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. (Photos 1-2)
- Simmer the beans, covered with water, until tender. They usually take 50-60 minutes on the stovetop and 8-12 minutes in a pressure cooker.
- Drain the cooked beans and set aside. If using canned beans, start from here.
- Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, paprika, and bouillon. Cook while stirring for about 60 seconds. Toss in the dried crayfish and simmer for 10-15 minutes, adding water or stock as needed to prevent burning. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally. (Photos 3-4)
- Add the beans, green onions, and remaining stock or water, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. (Photos 5-6)
- Serve: Adjust seasonings, add water if it’s too thick, and enjoy!!!
Recipe Notes
- While I absolutely love smoked meat or fish in my beans, it’s more about the flavor than protein. So if you can’t get it, smoked paprika will replace the flavors that are missing.
- I couldn’t resist the crayfish, but you can replace it with mushroom powder for a vegan version.
- Dried shrimp will work if you can’t find crayfish.
What Goes With Red Red Stew
Serve stew with a plate full of white rice, a side of fried plantains (a must), avocados, and boiled or pounded yams make a complete meal. For a non-traditional meal, try Southern cornbread and collard greens.
More Black-Eyed Pea Recipes to Enjoy
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”25KfoV5l” upload-date=”2019-04-25T14:02:31.000Z” name=”Red Red” description=”Red Red Recipe- A hearty tasty and no fuss vegetarian black-eyed peas stewed beans- African Style.”]
This blog post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Red Red (African Stewed Black-Eyed Peas)
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450g) black-eyed peas (four 14.5-ounce cans)
- ¼-½ cup (60-120ml) palm oil or canola oil (see notes)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) grated ginger
- ½ tablespoon (7-8g) minced garlic
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon (9g) smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup (15g) dried crayfish (optional)
- 2-3 cups (470-700ml) stock or water
- 1 tablespoon (10g) bouillon powder (beef, chicken, or vegetable－optional)
- 2-3 green onions, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 habanero pepper or hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse dried black-eyed peas, picking through and discarding any foreign objects. Add them to a large pot, covering them with 3-4 inches of cold water. Cover and let them soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place them in a Dutch oven or pressure cooker. For the Dutch oven, cover the beans with fresh water and simmer until tender (adding water as needed to prevent burning). They usually take 50-60 minutes on the stovetop. For the pressure cooker, follow your pressure cooker instructions. They’re usually done in 8-12 minutes.
- Drain the cooked beans and set aside. If using canned beans, start from here.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, paprika, and bouillon. Cook while stirring for about 60 seconds.
- Toss in the crayfish and simmer for 10-15 minutes, adding water or stock as needed to prevent burning. Continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, add the beans, green onions, and remaining stock or water, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Adjust seasonings, add water if it’s too thick, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Red palm oil is NOT the same as the controversial palm oil used in ultra-processed foods. However, if you want a lower fat content, feel free to reduce the quantity or omit it altogether.
- How long it takes to cook beans depends on their age, your altitude, and your stove temperature. The fresher the beans, the faster they cook.
- There is quite a debate about when to add salt. I’ve tried it three ways: soaking, cooking, and after. And honestly, I prefer adding it to the soaking water. The beans cook up tender and flavorful, but feel free to add salt when you want.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I’ve just return form a trip to Ghana and fell in live with this this. I’m actually making it today for my kids to try hope they love it as much as I do
I hope you had a great trip, Donna! That sounds great, would love an update on if they enjoyed 🙂
This was spectacular! I used fish sauce instead of the crayfish, and also put in smoked paprika. I added swiss chard chopped up for some greens. My kid loved it too.
Thanks for the recipe!
I love blackeyed peas! Got to try this with tomatoes and tomato sauce, a little rice and corn bread! Yummy good!
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Wow, this was surprisingly delicious! I am vegetarian so left out the crayfish of course, but I added a dash of kelp seasoning and liquid smoke as well as smoked paprika to give it a deeper flavor, but not even sure I needed those modifications. I also used the canned peas. I served over mielepap and with smoked turkey sausage for the rest of the family. Everyone loved it, and I’m enjoying leftovers at lunch today. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!
Now you got me wanting to make this one for tomorrow. 🙂 Glad you and your family loved it, Supriya. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Enjoy!
Hi there! I can’t wait to make this dish tonight. I’d like to add smoked turkey from the grocery store… do you have a recipe that includes meat?
Hi Nadia, you can try this Collard Greens recipe here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/southern-style-greens/ You can easily switch out the ham hocks for smoked turkey.
Me gusta bastante, yo siempre utilizo un contador de tiempo para que no se me pase la comida
I made this in a slow cooker…it was delicious that way too and even easier! ❤❤
I am also making this in the Crock-Pot tomorrow. I am missing palm oil and green onions and I think there was something else. Oh yes tomato paste. I’m going to make it with what I’ve got and then once I have a caregiver I can go out shopping and get what I want for this dish. There is a market down the street that sells all of these things and I would like to get plantains as well to drive for a serving on the side. I do have smoked paprika and Liquid Smoke. I can also reduce down tomato juice until very thick which I have done before when recipes call for tomato paste and I don’t have any. Thank you so much for posting this recipe I just saw it made on TV in a village in Ghana!
I’m Ghanaian, and was happy to find this Ghanaian recipe here. As a child I loved eating this with golden fried plantain and a little avocado chopped up on the side. Thank you for bringing back fond childhood memories. Great job!
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share Akosua! Happy to be of help.
I’m getting ready to have a buffet for my son’s birthday party and will be serving African food. I’m so excited to find your website. The blackeyed peas will defiantly be on the menu!
Happy birthday to your son, Vicki! Can’t wait for you to try some other recipes on this site. Happy cooking!
Can olive oil be used instead? I don’t know where to find palm oil and I don’t use the other
Yes, you can but it wouldn’t have that authentic taste. Still tastes good though. Palm oil can be purchased in any African Market.
Our new favorite!
YESS!!
I made this today for lunch – it’s delicious and easy to make. Thank you for posting it!
Awesome! Thanks for feedback!
When do I add the tomato paste…making it tom.
After adding the tomatoes.
This looks so amazing! If you opt to use the crayfish, could you use seafood stock/bouillon instead of veg or chicken? Or do you think it would be too much?
Thanks! It would be just fine . Go for it . Happy Holidays!!!!
Loved this recipe! It was the first time I have ever made black eyed peas. It was delicious, even my picky 2 year old gobbled down 2 bowls! I did not use any meat. Thank you for posting!!!
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well you. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.
Soooo simple and yet so much flavour in this dish. Made it twice already and planning my third time already! Thank you for sharing!
YES! So glad to hear this Chantelle ! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.
I stumbled upon this website and just tried the Red Red recipe tonight—it was fantastic!! I’m vegetarian, so your recipes open up a whole new culture of meals for me. I skipped the dried shrimps and used smoked paprika, used only a few tablespoons of oil (I had olive oil so used that) and chopped up a zucchini that needed to be used and threw that in with the onions. Delicious!!! I’ll be making this frequently—thank you!
YESS! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
I am on a weight loss diet. How would the stew taste change if I used less palm oil?
It does change but not a whole lot- it’s still quite flavorful. Just like you when am on a diet I cut out oil significantly , I start with 3-4 tablespoons . Add more if necessary just enough to get the onions and garlic going.
I prepared this dish and it was delicious. I’m still smacking my lips. It was difficult to find palm oil in my community so I used vegetable oil. I had my son get it for me in Baltimore and made it again and it makes a big difference in the flavor. Thank you soooooo much for providing a taste of the Motherland.
Awesome! Yes, Palm oil gives it that distinct flavor that can’t be beat. So glad to hear it worked out well for you. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Hi,
Stumbled here searching for something.
But this is very interesting & informative about African food.
This red red is very similar to Indian Lobia curry.
Black eyed peas are called Lobia in India.
I liked Puf-Puf recipe also.
Thanks for introducing me to new food ides.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Niiima – I just learned something new today.
ayo, this is what im talking about, a wonderful african dish i can share with my parents. im assuming the crayfish is dried? eager to serve this with fried sweet (or did u eat it with green) plantains. this is absolutely wonderful. nothing beats that african mix of onion tomato and palm oil
You’ve got that right . It always takes me back home ! Yes the crayfish is dried and Yes to fried sweet plantains. Green plantains works as well.