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Red Red (Ghanaian Cowpea Stew with Fried Sweet Plantains)

Name: Red Red (Ghanaian Cowpea Stew with Fried Sweet Plantains)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ghana
Ingredients: 350 g dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight; 120 ml unrefined red palm oil; 3 piece ripe yellow plantains, sliced into 1 cm rounds; 2 piece large red onions, finely diced; 3 clove garlic, minced; 25 g fresh ginger, finely grated; 2 piece scotch bonnet peppers, finely minced; 3 piece plum tomatoes, blended; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 piece smoked mackerel, flaked and deboned; 1 tbsp dried ground shrimp powder; 300 ml vegetable oil for frying plantains; 1.5 tsp fine sea salt

Savory black-eyed peas simmered in rich palm oil and smoked fish, crowned with sweet fried plantains.

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The story

Named 'Red Red' for the double-red combination of unrefined red palm oil stew and deeply browned fried ripe plantains, this dish is a weekday lunch classic throughout Ghana. Often topped with toasted fermented cassava flour (gari foto), it offers an exquisite balance of sweet, smoky, and spicy profiles.

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