Adalu — bean and corn pottage

🌽 Tender beans and corn kernels in a soft pottage flavoured with red palm oil, onion and bell pepper. An everyday dish eaten with a spoon.

Ingredients

• 300 g dried black-eyed peas or Nigerian brown beans
• 300 g cooked sweetcorn kernels, drained
• 1 large onion, about 150 g
• 1 small red bell pepper, about 150 g, deseeded
• ½ small fresh chilli, optional and adjusted to strength
• 3 tbsp unrefined red palm oil, 45 ml
• 10 g ground dried crayfish, omitted for a plant-based version
• 1.2 litres water initially, plus hot water as needed
• About ½ tsp salt, adjusted

Preparation

Sort and rinse beans. Slice the onion and put half in a pot with beans and 1.2 litres water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for about 55–70 minutes until tender, adding hot water as needed.

Check that the corn is already cooked. Drain; briefly rinse canned kernels if desired and drain again. Do not use raw dried maize at this stage.

Coarsely blend bell pepper, optional chilli and remaining onion with 2–3 tbsp water.

Gently heat 45 ml palm oil without smoking. Add blended mixture and cook over medium-low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring until the raw pepper smell disappears.

Once beans are tender, reserve excess liquid while keeping the pot moist. Add corn, sauce and crayfish if used.

Mix gently and simmer together for 10–15 minutes, scraping the base regularly. Crush only a few beans against the side if thickening is needed.

Add reserved liquid if too thick, or reduce uncovered if loose. Taste and add salt gradually.

Rest off the heat for 5 minutes and serve hot. Corn should stay visible in a soft pottage. Adjust the initial cooking to your beans.