Bowl of Stewed Honey Beans
(click to enlarge)

Stewed Beans, Nigerian


West Africa, Nigeria   -   Ewa riro (Yoruba - lit "Stirred Beans")
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 #
**
1-1/4hr
Most		 This is a major "comfort food" in Nigeria, many families have it at least once a week. See also Comments.

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Beans, dry (1)  
Water
-- Sauce
Tomatoes
Onion
Bell Pepper red
Habanero Chili (2)  
-- Options
"Crayfish" (3)
Smoked fish (4)  
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Water
Palm Oil, red (5)
Bouillon Cube (6)
Salt
Pepper
Do Ahead   -   (8 hrs soak - 5 min work)
  1. Soak 2 cup DRIED BEANS and 1 t salt (yes, salt) in 4 cups water for 8 hours or overnight. Rinse and drain.
Make   -   (1-1/4 hrs)
  1. In a sauce pan, with Water to cover well. IF using, stir in chunks of Smoked Fish. Bring Beans to a boil uncovered and skim off the scum that rises. Cover and simmer until very tender but still mostly intact. Check water often to make sure it just covers the beans. This will be about 40 minutes for Honey Beans and African Brown Beans, but a bit longer for Black-eyed Peas, depending on age of the beans. Note that the beans in the photo example are more firm than would be common in Africa.
  2. Meanwhile:   Chop TOMATO, ONION, and BELL PEPPER medium. Cap HABANEROS but don't core and seed unless you're really chili adverse. Mix all and run in a Mixie or Blender until smooth.
  3. Stir Palm Oil and crushed Bouillon Cube into the Sauce. IF using, stir in ground Crayfish too.
  4. Check Water - the Beans should project above the water level when done, but far from dry. Stir in Sauce mix, Salt, and Pepper to taste, and simmer another 10 minutes. If too liquid, boil it down until it's the way you want it.
  5. Serve hot with Fufu, Bread, or Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Beans:

      This stew is made from any one of three different cowpea type beans. most preferred is African Honey Beans, second is African Brown Beans, third is Black-eye Peas (but preferred by some). For details see our Beans, Peas, & Lentils page.

  2. Habanero:

      Two with seeds will give this stew a distinct bite, one will still be noticeable. Use your own best judgement here. For details see our African Chilis page.

  3. "Crayfish":

      Nigerian "Crayfish" is actually tiny smoked shrimp (unsmoked they are just called "dried shrimp") Measure is crushed well, but grind before adding to stew. For details see our African Dried / Smoked Crayfish page.

  4. Smoked Fish:

      Nigerian Smoked Fish is cooked over wood fire and smoked until completely dry. Chunks are usually put in a stew or soup just at the start of cooking. It can also be crushed and ground, where much less is needed. For details see our page Smoke Dried Fish page. I used Bonga Shad with the skin peeled off and bones removed. One lady reports she is quite happy with using chunks of Smoked Turkey.

  5. Red Palm Oil:

      This is unrefined Palm Fruit oil (not Palm Kernel Oil). It is much used all over Africa and in the Bahia province of Brazil. It is available on-line. For details and substitute see our Red Palm Oil / Dendê Oil page.

  6. Bouillon Cube:

      In Nigeria Maggi® Cubes are used in almost every recipe, at home and by restaurants, but are not easy to find in North America. I have them but usually can't find them, so I use a teaspoon of Chicken Powder. For details see our Maggi® Cubes page. If you're strictly vegetarian, use something like Vegeta instead of the cube.

  7. Comments:

      Try to use one or another (or more than one) of the Options - unless you're a strict vegetarian. Some people keep the Beans and Sauce separate, seasoning both with Salt and Pepper. For this method, the Sauce is made as above, but the Red Palm Oil is not included. The Palm Oil is heated in a pan and the Tomato mix stirred in until bubbling well. The beans are then served with sauce spooned over.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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