Mountain Cat
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I adapted a dish originally made by the chef Marcus Samuelsson.
My changes (in addition to downsizing a bit as 8-10 servings for one person would be overkill) were using a serrano pepper instead of habanaro (it’s what the supermarket had), and using veggie broth instead of chicken stock, because I wanted to go vegetarian with this dish, but chicken should also be good. My hand slipped in decanting the coconut milk, and so there’s a bit more, but I decided what th’ hey. (It is supposed to be the same amount of coconut milk as the broth.) The recipe doesn’t call for pre-soaking the beans (black-eyed peas are actually technically beans) but I did it anyway. Pre-soaking may also reduce flatulence if you are prone. The recipe’s simmering/draining step may well take care of this.
Berbere is a peppery Ethiopian spice mixture containing paprika, cumin, onion, coriander, peppers, and other spices.
Prep Time: Overnight soaking, with the rest of the prep taking while the peas simmer in the first stage.
Cook time: 35+2+5+20+10 = 72 minutes. Approx 1.25 hours.
Rest Time: Eh.
Serves: 4-6.
Leftovers: Yes. The stew will thicken up when refrigerated.
Vegetarian Ethiopian Black-Eyed Pea Stew
Soak the black-eyed peas overnight and rinse. This will largely remove anti-nutrients from the beans. They will expand! So take that into account when finding a suitable container.
Drain.
In a large pot, add the peas and add water to cover. Bring to a boil on your cooktop, and reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer until soft or tender. About 35 minutes. (They will cook further later).
Add a pinch of salt, mix, and let stand 5 minutes before draining thoroughly.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter or ghee (if vegan, use a high heat oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chile and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, which will be about 10 minutes.
Add the berbere and turmeric. Stir for about 2 minutes, until you can appreciate fragrance.
Add those tomatoes and stir for about 5 minutes.
Add the liquids (coconut milk and stock), and boil. Drop this back down to a mild simmer, and stir periodically. You want to thicken the sauce some. This will take approximately 20 minutes.
Add the peas to the sauce (or vice versa), and cook at medium low, stirring occasionally. Do this for about 10 minutes, so that all the food is hot, and the peas are well-coated with their sauce.
If you know you and guests will likely eat the whole dish in one sitting, add the scallions and cilantro now. r If you are rather certain of leftovers, plate out the stew into bowls, and then add the scallions and cilantro to each individual bowl on top as served. (Actually, I think it would look better this way to begin with.)
Photo above: Just beginning to simmer.
VERDICT: I liked this a lot. One can add more heat to the dish, but the heat that is there will grow. There is plenty of flavor nuance. Definitely a keeper.
Photo above: Peas are in the pot.
Served!!
My changes (in addition to downsizing a bit as 8-10 servings for one person would be overkill) were using a serrano pepper instead of habanaro (it’s what the supermarket had), and using veggie broth instead of chicken stock, because I wanted to go vegetarian with this dish, but chicken should also be good. My hand slipped in decanting the coconut milk, and so there’s a bit more, but I decided what th’ hey. (It is supposed to be the same amount of coconut milk as the broth.) The recipe doesn’t call for pre-soaking the beans (black-eyed peas are actually technically beans) but I did it anyway. Pre-soaking may also reduce flatulence if you are prone. The recipe’s simmering/draining step may well take care of this.
Berbere is a peppery Ethiopian spice mixture containing paprika, cumin, onion, coriander, peppers, and other spices.
Prep Time: Overnight soaking, with the rest of the prep taking while the peas simmer in the first stage.
Cook time: 35+2+5+20+10 = 72 minutes. Approx 1.25 hours.
Rest Time: Eh.
Serves: 4-6.
Leftovers: Yes. The stew will thicken up when refrigerated.
Vegetarian Ethiopian Black-Eyed Pea Stew
- 8 ounces black-eyed peas
- Sea salt, a pinch.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or ghee, or if vegan or not doing dairy: simply use cooking oil)
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 1/4 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 serrano chile, seeded and diced (you can sub in a small habanero – preferred, jalapeno, or other)
- 1.5 teaspoons berbere seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (try to find flavorful ones, it is hard in the winter.)
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 0.75 cup veggie broth (chicken would be fine for omnivores)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, stems and all – optional
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Soak the black-eyed peas overnight and rinse. This will largely remove anti-nutrients from the beans. They will expand! So take that into account when finding a suitable container.
Drain.
In a large pot, add the peas and add water to cover. Bring to a boil on your cooktop, and reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer until soft or tender. About 35 minutes. (They will cook further later).
Add a pinch of salt, mix, and let stand 5 minutes before draining thoroughly.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter or ghee (if vegan, use a high heat oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chile and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, which will be about 10 minutes.
Add the berbere and turmeric. Stir for about 2 minutes, until you can appreciate fragrance.
Add those tomatoes and stir for about 5 minutes.
Add the liquids (coconut milk and stock), and boil. Drop this back down to a mild simmer, and stir periodically. You want to thicken the sauce some. This will take approximately 20 minutes.
Add the peas to the sauce (or vice versa), and cook at medium low, stirring occasionally. Do this for about 10 minutes, so that all the food is hot, and the peas are well-coated with their sauce.
If you know you and guests will likely eat the whole dish in one sitting, add the scallions and cilantro now. r If you are rather certain of leftovers, plate out the stew into bowls, and then add the scallions and cilantro to each individual bowl on top as served. (Actually, I think it would look better this way to begin with.)
Photo above: Just beginning to simmer.
VERDICT: I liked this a lot. One can add more heat to the dish, but the heat that is there will grow. There is plenty of flavor nuance. Definitely a keeper.
Photo above: Peas are in the pot.
Served!!
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