Red Red

Ingredients

• 400 g black-eyed peas
• 3 medium ripe plantains
• 80 ml palm oil
• 4 medium plum tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 whole scotch bonnet
• 60 ml vegetable oil
• 2 stalks scallions

Steps

1. Soak black-eyed peas overnight; simmer with salted water 45 minutes until soft.
2. Drain, reserving some liquid.
3. In a heavy pot, heat palm oil until it shimmers; fry chopped onion until soft.
4. Add minced garlic, ginger, and a chopped scotch bonnet; cook 2 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato paste and cook 5 minutes until it darkens.
6. Blend the plum tomatoes to a purée and pour in; simmer 10 minutes until reduced.
7. Add the cooked beans and a splash of the reserved liquid; simmer 15 minutes to marry.
8. Meanwhile, slice ripe plantains 1cm thick and fry in vegetable oil until dark golden on both sides.
9. Serve the red-red stew with the fried plantains and a scatter of chopped scallion.

Tips

• Palm oil gives the signature red — no shortcut here. Use unrefined red palm oil, not regular.
• Plantains must be BLACK-spotted ripe. Green plantains fry hard and starchy.