Ewa Riro (Nigerian Stewed Beans)

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Ingredients

1 pound dried black-eyed peas , picked over and rinsed
Kosher salt
2 small r ed onions , 1/2 onion thinly sliced and the remaining 1 1/2 onions roughly chopped
2 medium red bell peppers or 2 red shepherd peppers , stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped (see note)
2 plum tomatoes , cored and roughly chopped
3/4 cup unrefined red palm oil
2/3 cup ground crayfish, divided (optional, see notes)
1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper , left whole and poked all over with a skewer or toothpick for a less spicy result, or stemmed, seeded, and minced for a more spicy result
Nigerian red dry pepper, to taste (optional, see notes)

Instructions

1

In a large pot, cover beans with cold water by at least 2 inches. Cover and leave to soak for at least 4 and up to 12 hours.
2

Drain the beans, then rinse with cold water. Return to pot, top with at least 2 inches of fresh cold water, and stir in 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are soft enough to squish between your fingers but still retain their shape, about 1 hour (note that cooking times can vary depending on age and source of beans); top up with additional boiling water at any point if level gets too low. Drain beans, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside.
3

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, process the roughly chopped onions, shepherd or bell peppers, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup (120ml) water on high until a smooth puree forms, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Set vegetable purée aside.
4

In a large heavy-bottomed pan, heat palm oil over medium to high heat until lightly smoking and fragrant. Add thinly sliced onion, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup ground crayfish, if using, and continue to cook, stirring, until aromatic and the crayfish fries slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
5

Add Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (if using whole, add the entire pepper; if using minced, start with 1/4 teaspoon, then add more to taste). Continue to cook, stirring often, until chile pepper has softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
6

Stir in reserved vegetable purée, then increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly and a light web of oil droplets form on the surface, about 10 minutes.
7

Stir in cooked beans and the remaining 1/3 cup ground crayfish, if using; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Season with salt and red dry pepper, if desired.
8

At this point, you can either continue to the next step, or, if a thicker texture is desired, use a wooden spoon to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot or an immersion blender to purée a portion of the beans; how much you mash or purée, if it all, will determine how creamy the final dish is.
9

Continue to cook, covered, stirring and scraping the bottom every once or twice to prevent scorching, until the stew thickens some more and begins to dry at the bottom, about 20 minutes. (If you prefer the beans looser, either don&

Chef's Tips

Food processor or countertop blender
Ground crayfish is made from krill, shrimps, and small prawns that are often sun-dried and smoked. You can find it whole or ground in many West African stores and online. You can replace ground crayfish with an equal volume of dried prawns or shrimp, which are available in Chinese or Asian markets.
While not traditional, you can substitute the fermented, smoky, seafood essence of crayfish with ground katsuobushi or bonito flakes or nori flakes—they add a different but enjoyable flavor if you don't have the ground crayfish available. If using one of these other ingredients, start with half the amount of crayfish, and adjust to taste.
Nigerian red dry pepper is made from ground chiles. Cayenne pepper is the closest substitute. You can also use chile flakes, gochugaru, or other ground chiles you like.
Make the plain beans up to 3 days ahead, separating the cooked beans from the bean liquid. Refrigerate both for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.
Refrigerate the cooked, stewed beans in airtight containers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.