Ewa Aganyin (Mashed Black‑Eyed Peas with Spicy Pepper Oil)
A very cheap, filling Nigerian street‑food tray: gently mashed black‑eyed peas topped with a concentrated, spicy palm‑oil pepper sauce. Economical, make‑ahead, and great with bread or fried plantain.
1 hr 20 min
start to finish
20 min
hands on
Easy
difficulty
4
servings
Ingredients
For the beans
For the pepper oil (ata)
Roughly, per serving
430 kcal24g protein60g carbs12g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
If using canned beans, drain and rinse both cans and set them in a bowl; skip to step 7.
Rinse the dried black‑eyed peas and pick out any small stones or bad beans.
Place the rinsed dried beans in a large pot, add 1.5 liters water and half the onion, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the beans are tender, 35–50 minutes (check at 35 minutes).
When the beans are tender, remove and discard the whole onion, stir in the bouillon cube (if using) and 1 tsp salt, then drain off most of the cooking water, reserving about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of liquid.
Mash the cooked beans in the pot with a wooden spoon or potato masher until mostly smooth, adding up to the reserved 60 ml cooking liquid to reach a creamy, thick consistency.
Leave some texture — Ewa Aganyin is traditionally slightly lumpy.
While the beans cook (or while they're resting after mashing), make the pepper oil: add the palm oil to a small heavy skillet and warm over medium heat until shimmering.
Blend the scotch bonnet(s), red bell pepper, the remaining half onion and the tomatoes to a coarse paste (use a blender or food processor).
Carefully add the blended pepper paste to the hot oil (it will spit); reduce heat to medium‑low and fry, stirring often, until the mixture darkens, the oil separates and the raw tomato smell cooks off, about 8–12 minutes.
Keep the heat moderate so the paste fries slowly and the oil separates rather than burning.
Stir smoked paprika (if using), 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar (if using) into the pepper oil, cook 1–2 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning.
To serve, spoon the mashed beans onto a plate, make a shallow well in the center, and ladle several tablespoons of the hot pepper oil over each portion; drizzle a little more oil if you like it rich.
Serve hot with bread (Agege or sliced sandwich bread), boiled yam, rice, or fried ripe plantain.
Worth knowing
- Heat control is key: fry the pepper paste gently until the oil 'separates' (you'll see oil pool and the paste darken). That gives the characteristic concentrated flavor.
- If you can't find red palm oil, use neutral oil and add smoked paprika to mimic color and a hint of smoke.
- Make ahead: the pepper oil keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week; rewarm before using. Mashed beans will keep 3–4 days refrigerated.
- Adjust spiciness: remove seeds from the scotch bonnet for less heat, or use only one pepper.
- Stretch the meal further by serving with sliced bread and a little extra oil on the plate for dipping — traditional and very budget friendly.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
VeganGluten-freeDairy-freeBudgetMeal prepHigh protein
More Nigerian cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Nigerian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegan and gluten-free and dairy-free as listed.