Ghanaian red red stew

Plant-based health coach Jeffrey Boadi has fond memories of enjoying this hearty stew as a child at home and says that whenever he visits Ghana these days, he has it almost every day. “I love it – and so will you!”

Ghanaian red red stew. Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing / Clare Winfield

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 75 g red capsicum (bell pepper), chopped
• 250 g tomatoes, quartered
• 1 medium onion (150 g), halved (one half finely diced, the other quartered)
• 70 g carrot, chopped
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) palm oil (or other oil)
• 3 cans black-eyed beans (do not discard the liquid – see Instructions)
• ½ scotch bonnet (optional)
• 300 ml aquafaba (liquid from the canned beans – see Instructions)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 3 tsp tomato paste
• 2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
• 4 ripe plantains
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp avocado oil
• 2 medium avocados (300 g), sliced
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of chilli flakes, to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6).
2. Add the capsicum (pepper), tomatoes, onion quarters and carrot to a roasting tin. Drizzle with 1½ tablespoons of the palm oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.
3. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are caramelised and tender.
4. Drain the canned beans, reserving 300 ml of the liquid (aquafaba) to use later. Rinse the beans.
5. Add the roasted vegetables, scotch bonnet, if using, and 200 ml of the aquafaba to a jug blender. Blend to make a sauce and set aside.
6. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining palm oil. Add the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and bay leaf, if using. Sauté for 1–2 minutes.
7. Pour the vegetable sauce into the pan, then add the tomato paste, stock cubes, black-eyed beans and remaining 100 ml of aquafaba. Mix well and cook for about 10 minutes over a low heat while you prepare the plantain.
8. Peel, halve and slice the plantains lengthways, then sprinkle with salt and toss in a mixing bowl.
9. Heat the avocado oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the plantain for about 15–20 minutes, flipping occasionally until golden brown. Alternatively, coat the plantains with a little palm oil and salt, then bake them in the oven at 180 °C (Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4).
10. Once the plantain is ready, use a potato masher to mash the beans slightly to make the stew creamy.
11. Serve the stew with either baked or fried plantains and avocado slices, garnished with chilli flakes.

This is an edited extract from Plant Fuel by Jeffrey Boadi (Bloomsbury Publishing), photography by Clare Winfield.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.