Black-eyed peas stewed in red palm oil beside caramelized fried plantains — named twice for its two shades of red.

Where does Red Red come from?

Red Red is a Ghanaian dish from Greater Accra, Ghana.

Can Red Red be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Red Red recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Red Red take to make?

About 50 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Recipe

Name: Red Red
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ghanaian
Ingredients: 3 cups black-eyed peas, cooked; 4 tbsp red palm oil; 3 ripe plantains, thick slices; 3 tomatoes, blended; 1 onion, diced; 1 tbsp + 3 cloves fresh ginger + garlic, minced; 1/2 or more Scotch bonnet, minced; 4 tbsp toasted gari (cassava grits), optional topping; 1/2 cup neutral oil, for frying the plantains

Africa → 🇬🇭 Ghana → Greater Accra

Red Red

Ghanaian · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 35 min

~846 cal · 38g protein · 147g carbs · 17g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Red palm-oil bean stew beside fried ripe plantains

🇬🇭 Greater Accra

Red red gets its name honestly: palm oil reddens the beans, and ripe plantains fry to a deep amber-red beside them. It’s Accra lunch food — cheap, filling, and completely satisfying — often finished with a dusting of toasted gari.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

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3 cups black-eyed peas, cooked

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4 tbsp red palm oil — or neutral oil + 1 tsp paprika

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3 ripe plantains, thick slices

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3 tomatoes, blended

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1 onion, diced

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1 tbsp + 3 cloves fresh ginger + garlic, minced

•

1/2 or more Scotch bonnet, minced

•

4 tbsp toasted gari (cassava grits), optional topping

•

1/2 cup neutral oil, for frying the plantains

Instructions

Fry the onion, ginger, garlic, and Scotch bonnet in the palm oil until soft and fragrant.

Add the blended tomatoes and cook down 10 minutes until the oil rises red.

Fold in the black-eyed peas with a splash of water; simmer 15 minutes, mashing a few for body.

Meanwhile fry the plantain slices in hot oil until deep amber on both sides; salt lightly.

Plate beans beside plantains, dust with gari if you have it, and accept that lunch is solved forever.

Accra chop-bar tradition.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Greater Accra. Accra’s red-red stalls, where beans meet palm oil and plantain.

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Ghana. Gold Coast kitchens built on plantain, cassava, and groundnut.

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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →