Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Red Red
Black-eyed peas stewed in red palm oil beside caramelized fried plantains, named twice for its two shades of red.
Ghanaian · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 35 min
~631 cal · 16g protein · 89g carbs · 27g fat · 11g fiber · 28g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Red red is a Ghanaian classic named, with characteristic directness, for its two shades of red: black-eyed peas stewed in vivid red , served beside fried ripe gone deep amber-red at the edges. It is an everyday dish in Accra and across the south, both filling and cheap.
The is essential: its earthy, slightly nutty richness and brilliant color are what make the bean stew unmistakably West African. The sweetness of the caramelized against the savory, spiced beans is the contrast that makes the plate sing.
Naturally vegan, red red is student food, market food, and home food all at once, sometimes topped with (toasted granules) for texture. It is the kind of unpretentious, deeply satisfying dish that Ghanaians grow up on and crave for the rest of their lives.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
3 cups black-eyed peas, cooked
4 tbsp red , or neutral oil and 1 tsp paprika
3 ripe , thick slices
3 tomatoes, blended
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 or more , minced
4 tbsp toasted ( grits), optional topping
1/2 cup , for frying the
Instructions
1
Fry the onion, ginger, garlic, and Scotch bonnet in the palm oil until soft and fragrant.
2
Add the blended tomatoes and cook down 10 minutes until the oil rises red.
3
Fold in the black-eyed peas with a splash of water; simmer 15 minutes, mashing a few for body.
4
Meanwhile fry the plantain slices in hot oil until deep amber on both sides; salt lightly.
5
Plate beans beside plantains, dust with gari if you have it, and accept that lunch is solved forever.
Accra chop-bar tradition.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Greater Accra. Greater Accra is Ghana's coastal heart, where red-red pairs black-eyed pea stew reddened with palm oil against sweet fried plantain. Banku (fermented corn and cassava) and kenkey (fermented corn steamed in husks) come with grilled tilapia and shito, the dark sauce of pepper, onion, and dried fish.
🗺️
Ghana. Ghana's fermented staples are not interchangeable. Banku is corn dough with cassava dough worked into it, kenkey is corn dough alone, wrapped in husks or leaves and steamed, and Ga kenkey is noticeably more sour than the Fante version. Shito, the black chilli condiment set beside them, carries dried fish and shrimp as well as heat.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Ghana
Nkatenkwan (Groundnut Soup)A silky, gingery peanut soup simmered with chicken and chilies, eaten with soft rice balls.
Hausa Koko and KooseA spiced fermented millet porridge with koose, crisp black-eyed pea fritters, Ghana's classic Ghanaian breakfast.
WaakyeRice and beans cooked with sorghum leaves that tint it reddish-brown, the everyday one-pot lunch of Ghana.
Browse all Ghana recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Ghana meal
AsaanaDrink
Nkate CakeDessert
Jollof RiceLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
MujadaraLebanon
Cherbet el LozAlgeria
KissanguaAngola
Azerbaijani ChayAzerbaijan
Leting la MabeleLesotho
TchoukoutouBenin
Cuisine
Diet
Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World
Vegan Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free Ghanaian Recipes
Dairy-Free Ghanaian Recipes
Vegan Dinners from Around the World
Vegetarian Dinners from Around the World
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Nut-Free Dinners from Around the World
Egg-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Red Red?
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?
This Red Red recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Red Red safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Red Red take to make?
About 50 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.