Ewa agoyin — soft mashed beans with pepper sauce

🫘 Very soft beans, almost mashed, served with a separate dried-pepper and onion sauce in red palm oil. A home version without bleaching the oil.

Ingredients

• 400 g dried black-eyed peas or Nigerian brown beans, unpeeled
• 3 medium onions, about 350 g total
• 25 g dried sweet red peppers, stems and large seeds removed
• 5 g hot dried red chilli, reduced to suit strength
• 120 ml unrefined red palm oil
• 1.5 litres water for the beans, plus hot water as needed
• 300 ml hot water for soaking peppers, then 2–4 tbsp for blending if needed
• About ¾ tsp salt, divided and adjusted at the end

Preparation

Sort and rinse the beans. Put in a pot with one sliced onion and 1.5 litres water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 60–80 minutes until easily mashed, adding hot water as needed.

Meanwhile soak sweet dried peppers and hot chilli in 300 ml hot water for about 30 minutes, then drain. Keep mild and hot products distinct.

Slice a second onion. Coarsely blend the third with drained peppers, adding only 2–4 tbsp water if the blender requires it.

Gently heat 120 ml palm oil in a small heavy-bottomed pan, without smoking or bleaching. Cook sliced onion over low heat for 12–15 minutes until deeply golden.

Lower the heat and carefully add pepper paste. Cook gently for 25–35 minutes, stirring frequently, until concentrated and reddish brown. Lower heat further if sticking; do not blacken.

When beans are very soft, reserve excess liquid. Mash with a spoon or potato masher, adding reserved liquid for a soft consistency.

Taste and salt beans and sauce separately. Keep beans hot over very low heat and loosen with water if necessary. The two cooking processes overlap.

Divide beans into four servings with a little sauce on one side or served separately. Offer extra so diners can control heat and oil.