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Sunday 30 May 2010

Black bean and carrot stew




I was given a mission by a friend who was coming for dinner: prepare a vegetarian Ghanaian dish. Okaaaayyy, I thought; simple right? Just whack together some okra, tomatoes and garlic and my meat-loathing mate would be none the wiser. Wrong! He'd susssed out the blog and basically knew what I was capable of, so he was expecting something a little more elaborate than a basic, generic tomato stew with a few bits of okra. Damn, what to do? Does vegetarianism exist in Ghanaian society? Well, not really; telling someone in Ghana you're a veggie, is like telling a true Ga man that the Nigerian government are taking over Ghana: you can imagine the reaction; not worth thinking about, believe me. So, here is my veggie dish: Black bean and carrot stew, aka Yor flo in the Ga language of Southern Ghana. Feedback appreciated, folks.

Stuff
3 medium tomatoes
1 finely chopped onion
2 tbsp virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 large carrots
200g Black eye beans
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Mace
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 fresh tuna steak or 1 small tin of tuna (optional)
A few springs of fresh parsley for garnish

In a small pan half-filled with water, bring to a boil the black eye beans and once boiling, turn down to a medium heat and stew for around an hour, or until partly soft. Take off heat, cover and set aside. Next, soften the onions slightly in the oil on a low heat and add the allspice, mace, black pepper, salt and chilli powder and continue to heat on a low setting, mixing intermittently. Meanwhile, blend together the tomatoes and garlic and add to the pan of onions, mix together and add the black beans and cumin seeds. If using the tuna, grill for 3 minutes on each side, cut up and add to the dish. Chop up the carrots and soften for a few minutes in a pan of boiling water and blend into a rough pulp and add to the ingredients. Cover and continue to cook, stirring once or twice for 10 more minutes. Take off heat and serve with a garnish of chopped parsley. This dish is ideal served with plain, boiled plantain or yam. Enjoy!

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