Ghanaian black-eyed-pea-and-palm-oil stew — the iconic 'red red' name comes from its double red: the orange-red of red palm oil tinting the bean stew plus the reddened, fried ripe plantain served alongside. Cooked black-eyed peas simmer in a palm-oil, tomato, onion and red Scotch bonnet base, sometimes with gari stirred in for body. A defining Ga-Ewe street food and a cheap, filling staple of Accra and Volta-region home cooking. Vegan and gluten-free.
Red Red is Ghana's most iconic vegan dish — the name comes from two reds: the red palm oil that tints the stew and the reddened, fried ripe plantain served on the side (tomato and chili redden the sauce too, but the name rides on the oil and the plantain). The dish predates colonial influence and is part of the Ga-Ewe coastal kitchen tradition. Black-eyed peas (cowpeas) are West African native; red palm oil from the oil palm tree is the defining cooking fat. Long a cheap, filling working lunch, it has been made trendy in the diaspora by modern Ghanaian-vegan restaurants in New York and London.
First spoon: tender, slightly creamy black-eyed peas in a rich, smoky, almost-buttery red-palm-oil sauce. The palm oil is the unifying note — earthy, slightly smoky, almost like meat fat. The Scotch bonnet builds a fruity heat; tomato sweetness layers underneath. A bite of fried ripe plantain on the side — caramelized outside, soft and sweet within — cuts the richness.
Red palm oil is the technical centerpiece. Unlike refined oils, red palm oil is unrefined and retains beta-carotene (the source of its color), tocotrienols, and aromatic compounds from the palm fruit. When heated, these compounds bloom, providing a distinctive flavor not achievable with other oils. The long simmer of tomatoes + onion + palm oil creates a 'palm-oil-tomato base' foundational to West African cooking. Black-eyed peas have a slightly creamy, starchy texture that contributes body without flour; a handful of gari stirred in swells and thickens the sauce further.
Variations
Ga-Ewe canonical (red palm oil + Scotch bonnet + ripe plantain); modern healthier version uses less palm oil; can be made with red kidney beans; coconut-cream addition for richness (non-canonical); modern restaurants add smoked fish powder for umami (non-vegan); the dish is naturally vegan but some Ghanaian families add stockfish.
On the Palate
Where Red Red sits in the Ghanaian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
9 steps · 30 min active + 30 min waiting
- 135 min
Soak 300g dried black-eyed peas overnight (or use 600g canned). Boil 30-40 min in salted water until tender. Drain.
- 21 min
Heat 4 tbsp red palm oil + 2 tbsp neutral oil in heavy pot over medium-high. (Red palm oil is essential — substitutes don't work.)
Watch outHeat the palm oil until it turns fragrant and vivid before the onions go in — that bloom is where the flavor starts.
- 39 min
Add 2 diced onions; cook 8 min until golden. Add 4 garlic + 4cm ginger + 1 chopped Scotch bonnet.
- 43 min
Add 6 grated tomatoes (or 800g canned) + 2 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tsp paprika + 1 tsp coriander + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp salt + 4 bay leaves + 4 thyme.
- 523 min
Simmer 20-25 min until sauce is very thick and oil rises.
Watch outThe sauce is ready when it's thick enough to hold a trail and red oil floats to the surface.
- 612 min
Add cooked black-eyed peas + 300ml vegetable stock. Simmer 10 min more.
- 71 min
Optional: stir in 2 tbsp gari for body.
- 813 min
Make plantain side: peel 4 ripe plantains; cut into 1cm coins. Heat 2cm oil to 170°C. Fry plantain 3 min per side until golden and caramelized.
Watch outFry the plantain coins until deep golden and the edges caramelize — that sweet char plays against the savory stew.
- 93 min
Serve red red in bowls; plantain coins on the side. Garnish with scallion + cilantro.
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