Jollof beans (black-eyed beans in tomato sauce)

Method

1. Pick through the black-eyed beans and discard any stones or cracked beans. Put in a bowl with plenty of cold water and soak overnight.
2. The next day, rinse the beans and drain, then put in a pan, cover with cold water and cook, covered, over a medium heat for 60-75 minutes until tender. Top up the water in the pan if necessary. Don’t add salt as it will harden the beans.
3. Once the beans are soft and cooked, drain and put in a bowl. Season with a little salt and, using a potato masher, mash the beans slightly, so they’ll absorb more of the flavour from the sauce.
Recipe continues after advertising
Advertisement
4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. In a food processor/blender, whizz the tomatoes, half the chopped onion, the red pepper, garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet to a paste.
5. Heat a large saucepan with a glug of oil. When the oil is hot, add the remaining chopped onion to the pan and soften over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour in the blended tomato mixture, cover and cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in the crushed beans, then season to taste with ½-1 tsp of the all purpose seasoning and 1-2 tsp Maggi liquid seasoning. If the sauce is a little thick in consistency, add a splash of water to thin. Stir well, then cover the pot and simmer the beans for another 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the beans are covered in sauce and the mixture doesn’t look dry (add
   a splash of water if it does).
7. Once the beans are cooked, let them rest in the pan for an hour or more, so the flavours can settle. Warm the beans through and stir in the chopped parsley and coriander. Add a squeeze of lime juice, if you like, and serve with rice, bread, couscous or plantain as you wish.