Ghanaian Red Red Plantain and Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cans black-eyed peas, drained
• 3 very ripe plantains, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup red palm oil or neutral oil, plus 3 tbsp for frying
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced, plus 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 red chili, minced
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley

Steps

1. Heat the 1/4 cup palm oil in a heavy pot over medium heat until it just liquefies and turns bright orange. Do not let it smoke; overheated palm oil loses both its colour and its flavour.
2. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, until soft and golden, then add the garlic, ginger, and chili for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and fry it for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens from bright red to brick and smells sweet rather than sharp.
4. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they collapse and the red oil separates and pools at the edges of the pot.
5. Add the black-eyed peas, the stock, and the salt, and simmer for 15 minutes, crushing a handful of the beans against the side of the pot so their starch thickens the stew.
6. Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and fry the plantain slices for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and caramelised. Drain on a rack and salt lightly.
7. Taste the beans and adjust the salt and heat. The stew should be thick enough that a spoon leaves a track, not soupy.
8. Serve the red red with the fried plantain, the avocado, the cilantro, and lime wedges.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.