Plantain and beans is a classic Ghanaian dish beloved by many. It is so rich and tasty enough to be eaten without meat. In Ghana, it is dubbed “red red“, thanks to the reddish color from the palm oil. There are interesting variations of this meal. Some people add dried crayfish and other types of fish to their beans stew. Others prefer to eat their plantain and beans specked with garri-which is like dried cassava grains. There’s a lot of prepping to make the beans stew so I prefer to make a large batch all at once.
Prepping your beans
To start off, soak the beans overnight. The beans absorb the water and allows it to soften a bit. This will cut your cooking time in half. Seriously, I remember how people used to boil beans for like 4 hours just to get it to break down. Not worth it, in my opinion, so I think soaking the beans is a necessary step. Black eyed beans (peas) are commonly used but I used sweet brown beans for this recipe. Some people also like to add tomatoes to their bean stew but I don’t add it. I used dried shrimp but dry crayfish is a really popular choice.
What oil should I use?
Palm oil is what really makes this beans stew taste like the original. It is derived from the seeds of palm trees and has a distinct sharp flavor and a reddish-orange color. Palm oil is used to make other popular Ghanaian dishes like palmnut soup, and tatale (Fried plantain fritters). So it makes a huge difference in your stews. Palm oil does leave stains that are difficult to remove from clothes so watch out! You can store leftovers in containers in the freezer for up to 3 months, and it will still taste amazing!
If you want to pair this yummy beans stew with spicy plantain, check out my kelewele recipe!
Ingredients
4 cups brown beans or black eyed beans
900ml (4 cups) vegetable stock
1/2 cup palm oil
2 large onions, diced
2 scotch bonnet peppers, chopped
1/4 cup dried fish ( I used dried shrimp but you can use crayfish)
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
Extra 3-4 cups water
10-12 ripe plantain, peeled and sliced evenly
3 cups canola oil to fry plantain
Instructions
- Soak the beans in cold water and leave it overnight to help it soften.
- Drain the water from the beans using a colander or strainer.
- Transfer the soaked beans to a saucepan that is at least 3 quarts in capacity and fill it with the stock.
- Cover the saucepan with its lid and boil for 1 hour, adding more water or stock if it dries up halfway through, until the beans feel soft to the touch.
- Next, drain most of the stock from the beans and set aside.
- Heat the palm oil in a very large saucepan and fry the onions and scotch bonnet pepper on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the dried shrimp, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, parsley and gradually add the boiled beans with the stock from step 5.
- Add the extra water and let it simmer, uncovered, on a lower heat for another 30 minutes. Stir from time to time so that it doesn't burn.
- Once most of the water has dried out, your stew is ready.
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat and fry the plantain in batches until browned on both sides.
- Place the fried plantain on paper towels to blot any excess oil.
- Serve the plantain warm with the beans stew.
Notes
You can store any leftover bean stew in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.
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