Fried Plantain and Black-Eyed Peas

Fried plantains and black-eyed peas stew popularly known as Red Red in my motherland Ghana. I loved fried plantains! As a little girl I would eat fried plantains with baked beans and as I got older it was my favorite thing to eat at lunch time at work. I would eat this every day for lunch. I have such vivid memories of the little shack (the kind you build on the gameshow Survivor) near my workplace at Saki Publicity Advertising in Osu, Accra. At lunch time, my colleague and I would find our way to this little shack off the beaten path and order the same Red Red single day. Those were the days I never thought about calories.

Today, I would make this dish on New Year’s Eve or anytime I am in the mood for some Red Red. In the United States, black- eyed peas are best known, especially in the south, as a prosperity meal, used to usher in the new year with good luck.

Method

1. Let’s start with the plantains. Plantains are like big banana’s you’d find in the grocery stores. These are large and green but when ripened they turn yellow with black strips. They should be soft to the touch, not squishy (we use the squishy soft plantains for Kelewele – Kelewele is over ripened plantain cut in little triangles and seasoned with spicy red peppers, onions, ginger and salt and fried so the come out stuck together. So good).
   OK, the fried plantains. I start by peeling the plantains and cutting them into thin or chunky (not too chunky or it won’t fry through) diagonal or circular strips.
2. Pour enough oil into a large frying pan for deep or shallow frying.
3. Fry in batches until golden brown/red. Remove and drain on paper towel.
4. Then we make the stew. If using dried beans like we do in Ghana, you would rinse the beans and pour them in a large saucepan or pressure cooker. It’s best to use a pressure cooker to cut down on cook time because the beans are hard and would literally take at least 1 hour to cook until soft. Easier and faster now for me to use 2 canned (no salt) black-eyed peas sold in the supermarkets.
5. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. I you are using red palm oil be careful to not let it get too hot. Add 1 chopped or sliced red onion, about 1 inch of ginger, 1/2 tbs of chilli flakes and sauté gently for a few minutes until the onion is soft. You can add 1/2 tsp curry and 1/2 tbs chilli powders here if you want. Stir it properly.
6. Add all the 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 tbs tomato purée, sea salt and black pepper to taste and stir through. Cook for about 15 minutes and add the canned beans.
7. I use 2 canned tuna fish but if you are not a big fan of tuna, add bits of grilled chicken or beef to it. You may also eat it without added meats/protein.
8. Season to taste and serve alongside your friend plantain.

Do you see now how the name Red Red came about? The redness of the palm oil and the redlike color of the fried plantains is how the dish derives its name.

Let’s dig in!