Red-red is a classic Ghanaian vegetarian stew (or curry) made with tomatoes and red palm oil (hence the name red-red). The plantains are spiced with a classic Ghanaian spice blend, kelewele and the red-red is flavoured with curry powder (in lieu of a West African curry powder any blend that’s rich in turmeric (such as Madras) will work). Note that the native greens will not be available to most people, so I have replaced them with nasturtium flowers and leaves. If you absolutely can’t get red palm oil, use 5 tbsp vegetable oil blended with 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder. Though the flavour will not be the same, it will provide the appropriate red colour. Garri is fermented and dried cassava. It has a distinctive and earthy flavour — African and Brazilian varieties are available.
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 90 minutes/Serves 4 (+1 hour soaking)
Ingredients:
For the stew:
200g (7oz) dried black-eyed beans (or 1 x 400g [14 oz] tin black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed)
5 tbsp red palm oil (available from most Asian stores) vegetable oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
3cm (1in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
½ tbsp dried chilli flakes
1 red scotch bonnet chilli, diced (remove the seeds and veins for a milder effect)
½ tsp curry powder (madras is good)
½ tbsp chilli powder
400g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
4 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
garri, for garnish
For the spiced plantain:
1 heaped tbsp kelewele dry spice mix (see below)
1 small red onion, grated
5cm (2in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
pinch of sea salt
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
4-6 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into rounds
handful of roasted peanuts, crushed
To Garnish:
handful of micro coriander and cress greens
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
handful of nasturtium flowers and leaves
For the kelewele dry spice mix:
2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
½ tbsp ground cloves
Method:
Mix the ingredients for the kelewele dry spice mix together in a lidded jar and set aside.
If using dried beans, rinse and place in a large bowl. Cover with water and set aside to soak for 1 hour. Drain, transfer to a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 1 hour until the beans are tender.
Heat the red palm oil (or chilli powder oil) in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, chilli flakes and scotch bonnet and fry gently until the onion is translucent.
Add the curry and chilli powders and stir well. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, salt and pepper and cook for 45–60 minutes.
Add the beans, reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are fully tender and the tomatoes have lost their sharp taste.
For the spiced plantains, mix the dry spice mix with the onion, ginger, salt and 2 tablespoon of oil in a bowl.
Coat the plantain pieces in the spice mix and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat a deep-fat fryer (or a wok or deep pan) to 180C. Once hot use to fry the plantain rounds in batches until they float to the surface and are an even golden colour. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and set aside drain on kitchen paper.
To serve, spoon the stew into large bowls and sprinkle the garri over the top. Serve the plantain on the side, sprinkled with the crushed peanuts.
