Red - Red

One of the most popular dish in Ghana is called Red - Red. It is normally made vegetarian but some people prepare it with broth from meat or fish. This dish is a Ghanaian stew made from beans and it gets its red oil from the palm oil that is used to cook it. If not palm oil, tomato sauce will be used to cook it. I remember red - red was the last food I ate before leaving Ghana to the United States. As I mentioned on my last blog, banku and okro stew is my favorite food. My second favorite food is red-red. In my opinion, my mother is the best at preparing it. If you haven't tried this dish yet, I think you should give it a try. It is very delicious and satisfying. It is high in carbs and protein. The recipes used to prepare this dish is listed below:

Ingredients:
250 grams black eyed beans
Red palm oil
4 medium size red onions
1 small box tomato paste
1-2 red chili
2-3 cm fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic
5 tomatoes
Water
2-3 tbs of salt
A pinch of sugar

Red-Red is eaten with fried plantain, or preferably rice. I personally enjoy it with fried plantain. The plantain has to be ripped and not green. The dish tastes delicious with a ripped, fried plantain. In order to cook this dish properly you have to wash and boil the beans for about 30 minutes or until its soft. Drain them and put them aside. Chop the onions and add it to the palm oil, and boil for 15 minutes. The onion, chili, ginger and tomatoes will be grounded to a smooth paste.

If you choose to eat red-red with plantain, peel off the skin and cut it into little pieces. Find an olive oil and fry the plantain until it turns completely brown. If you don't have access to plantain, the red-red can be served with rice. But that is common in Ghana.



I miss the aroma and the taste of this dish when my mother prepares it. I especially love it when she prepares it spicy. The thickness of this dish makes it high in carbs and fiber. Some Ghanaians use it as a source of cleansing the stomach because the richness of the fiber makes you want to use the bathroom. This dish can cover two meals a day. This dish is mainly eaten with the hands because all Africans believes that eating with the hands makes you enjoy the meal more. And it is also cultural to eat with the hands in many of the African countries.