Vegan Red Red Stew (Spicy Ghanaian Black-Eyed Peas)

I’m participating in the June 2020 Cookout Takeover.  This initiative was established to encourage the celebration of Juneteenth—a jubilee of freedom to commemorate the end of slavery—and to amplify the food traditions of black culinary creatives. 

Juneteenth (merge of the words/date June Nineteenth) marks the date in 1865 that the last enslaved people learned of their freedom.  

And for over 150 years since, Black American families, home-cooks, chefs, and culinarians have commemorated the summer holiday with a wide range of food traditions that tell a story of the perseverance of a people.  

I personally celebrate Juneteenth every year getting together and enjoying the company of close friends and family–potluck style. We meet up at a park or in one of our backyards and share with one another tradition Black Cultural dishes such as Red Red, plantains, sweet teas, and the menu goes on and on!

Before we get into the Vegan Red Red recipe, Here’s a list of 10 amazing and talented Black Food Bloggers for your Juneteenth Celebration! 

Beautiful Eats & Things | Spiced Grilled Peaches

Ethically Living | Vegan Jackfruit Jamaican Patties

FoodLoveTog | Braised Cabbage & Johnny cakes 

Gristle & Gossip | Sweet Potato Honey Cornbread Cake

Maple Points | Peas & Rice – Guyanese Style

Marisa Moore Nutrition | Fresh Peach Iced Tea

Murielle Banackissa | Vegan Saka Saka (Congolese Cassava Leaf & Spinach Stew)

Open Invitation Entertainment | Coconut Collard Greens

The Vgn Way | Juneteenth Hibiscus Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream

Vegan With Curves | Slow Cooker Black Eyed Pea Sweet Potato Soup

————————————————–

Now for the recipe…it’s a hearty black-eyed pea dish that’s tasty and good for the soul.  Red Red Stew coconut rice, and plantain is what’s for dinner tonight. Here is my vegan take on the popular West African dish!

This is my first time taking a stab at Ghanaian food and let me tell you…this won’t be the last:) I took the main ingredients for traditional Red Red stew and added/substituted ingredients for a vegan flare.

So what is Red Red Stew? Home to Ghana, it’s a spicy tomato stew that gets its red color from the red palm oil that is used when prepared.  This dish is typically made with black-eyed peas, but any beans will do.  It is also common to find smoked meat in this dish.

One variation even includes crayfish…buuuuuut we at VFC won’t be having any of that.  So, to make up for the “missing” smoky flavor, I used smoked paprika. And for the seafood-like taste, I used dulse granules , which is a salt substitute made of red seaweed, often used in vegan “seafood” dishes).  Genius right?!

I chose to use 1 pound of dry black-eyed peas. Instead of waiting for my beans to soak for a full 24 hours, I “power soaked them”. Power soaking, or quick soaking, method takes about an hour. See instructions at the bottom.

After adding the onions to the red palm oil, you’ll quickly see why they call it Red Red.  The palm oil also gives it a distinctive taste and aroma that I find enjoyable.

Red palm oil facts: It is derived from the fruit of the oil palm tree and is referred to as “red palm oil” because of its rich dark red color in its unprocessed natural state.  It contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant-based oil.  The dark red color comes from alpha and beta-carotene, which are some of the nutrients responsible for the color to fruits and veggies such as carrots and tomatoes.

I chose to serve the Red Red with plantains that I pan seared in a thin coating of coconut oil and basmati rice cooked in light coconut milk and a small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

Get the coconut rice recipe here.

Did you make this Red Red recipe? Let me know how it turned out! 🙂 Rate it, leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thatgreenlyfe

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That Green Lyfe is monetized in part through the use of affiliate links. This means that if you were to click on a link that is an affiliate link, and/or purchase an item after clicking on that link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use often. Thank you for your support!

Recipe

Print Pin

Vegan Red Red Stew (Spicy Ghanaian Black-eyed peas)

Stewed black-eyed peas, West-African style!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine African

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 29 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 4- 14.5 ounce canned or 1lb bag of dry black eyed peas or use beans of choice
• ½ cup red palm oil (preferred) or canola oil
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dulse granules optional for "seafood-like" taste
• ⅛ teaspoon chile powder
• 2-3 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon optional
• 3 green onions (chopped)
• 1 habanero pepper optional
• salt and pepper as needed

Instructions

• If using dry beans, pour beans into a colander and rinse them under cool running water. Discard and stones or other debris. Drain.
• Transfer to a large pan and cover with about 2 inches of water. Bring water to a boil over high heat then cook the beans for 1 minute.
• Cover with lid and soak beans in the water for 1 hour.
• Drain/rinse beans, then set aside. (If using canned beans, start here)
• In a large saucepan, heat palm oil over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent, then add tomatoes, ginger, optional dulce granules, garlic, optional whole habanero, paprika, and veggie bouillon powder/cubes. Stir until well combined (about 60 seconds).
• Add beans, green onions, and the veggie stock (or water). Let simmer for 15-18 minutes
• Give it a taste. If needed, adjust to your liking with extra seasonings and water for texture.