Entree: Nigeria – Lagos Street Food – Ewa Agoyin (Mashed spicy black-eyed peas served with a smoky, oil-rich pepper sauce typical of Lagos street vendors)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 30 min

Cook 1 hr 30 min

Total 2 hrs

Ingredients

- 2 cups (400 g) dried black-eyed peas
- 6–8 cups (1.4–1.9 L) water for cooking
- 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda (optional, to soften beans)
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) red palm oil or neutral vegetable oil (for beans and finishing)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (450 g) tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 2 cups / 480 ml canned crushed tomatoes)
- 4–6 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, stemmed (adjust to heat preference)
- 1/2 cup (about 4 oz / 115 g) smoked mackerel, deboned and flaked (optional but traditional)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) ground crayfish (optional)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) palm oil (for pepper sauce) — separate from above
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) ground dried onion or onion powder (optional, for extra depth)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cayenne or Kashmiri red chili (optional, for color)
- 1 tsp (5 g) sugar (to balance acidity)
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying onions, about 2 tbsp (30 ml)
- Fried plantain, sliced bread, or warmed pap (tuwo) to serve

Instructions

1. Rinse the dried black-eyed peas and soak 4–8 hours or overnight, or use a quick soak: cover with 6 cups (1.4 L) water, bring to a boil 2–3 minutes, remove from heat and soak 1 hour. Drain.
2. In a large pot, add soaked peas, 6–8 cups (1.4–1.9 L) fresh water, 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda if using, and 1 tsp (5 g) salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, until very soft and breaking apart, about 45–60 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep peas saucy.
3. While beans cook, heat 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the chopped onion until deep golden and slightly crisp; remove and reserve some for garnish.
4. In a blender, combine peeled tomatoes, garlic, and Scotch bonnet peppers; pulse to a coarse purée. In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp (30 ml) palm oil over medium-low. Add the tomato-pepper purée and cook slowly, stirring frequently, until the oil separates and the sauce darkens and becomes glossy, about 20–30 minutes. Stir in flaked smoked mackerel, ground crayfish (if using), sugar, ground onion powder, and cayenne; simmer 5 more minutes and adjust salt to taste.
5. When beans are very soft, remove about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of cooking liquid and mash the beans vigorously with a sturdy spoon or potato masher to a thick, smooth but slightly coarse consistency. Add reserved oil (1/3 cup / 80 ml) and stir to combine; if too thick, thin with a little cooking liquid.
6. To serve, spoon mashed beans onto plates and ladle several generous spoonfuls of the hot agoyin pepper sauce over each portion so the oil pools on top. Garnish with reserved fried onion and extra flaked smoked fish if desired.
7. Serve immediately with sliced fried plantain, crusty bread (agege bread is traditional), or warm pap.