Known simply as ‘Beans’, I love this best made with honey beans although black-eyed beans work perfectly well. An English friend once declared Nigerian beans one of the world’s greatest culinary inventions!
Leave out the crayfish for a vegan version.
Serves: 4
As a rich source of protein, Agwa is not often served with any other form of meat or fish. However, some people add dried fish to the casserole as it cooks and may also serve it with fried fish, or some other protein. Nigerian brown beans (honey beans) produce the best results, but the common black-eye bean is perfectly fine.
Ingredients
- 500g black-eye beans or honey beans (rinsed and soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight)
- 300g tomatoes
- 1.5L water (or chicken stock)
- 2 onions, about 200g (peeled, and quartered)
- 2 red bell peppers (seeded and quartered)
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, about 8g (optional)
- 1 tablespoon ground crayfish (optional)
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree
- *4 tablespoons palm oil
Instructions
- Rinse the soaked beans in fresh cold water and place in a large saucepan with the stock or water.
- Liquidise the tomatoes, onions, bell peppers; and chilli and crayfish (if using) until just blended.
- Add to the saucepan and bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Add the palm oil, salt to taste and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with fried plantains and/or boiled or fried yam.
Notes
Soaking the beans helps speed up the cooking time.
*The oil may be omitted for a low-calorie version, without affecting the flavour.
Variations
- Blend in 20g of peeled ginger with the tomatoes
- Mix in a 250ml can of sweetcorn (drained) once the beans are cooked. The texture of the sweetcorn provides a lovely contrast to the soft beans. This is called ‘adalu’.
- Pieces of peeled washed yam may be added to the pot 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- Add some boiled rice about five minutes before the end of the cooking time.
*The oil may be omitted for a low-calorie version, without affecting the flavour.
Variations
- Blend in 20g of peeled ginger with the tomatoes
- Mix in a 250ml can of sweetcorn (drained) once the beans are cooked. The texture of the sweetcorn provides a lovely contrast to the soft beans. This is called ‘adalu’.
- Pieces of peeled washed yam may be added to the pot 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- Add some boiled rice about five minutes before the end of the cooking time.