Nigeria: Beans with Dodo

By Mark John
   
  
  

           I think it’s one of the most popular foods in my country, and the reason is that it’s very easy to find the ingredients for it. It’s not something only rich people or only poor people would make; it’s a delicious food that everyone can afford. My mother makes it a lot because it’s my dad's favourite meal. Growing up, that’s pretty much all he ate because that’s the only meal his mother had time to make. Since she lived a busy life, she couldn’t cook on a daily basis. I personally hate this meal because I ate it too much while growing up, so I got tired of it. I’ll only be able to eat it if it’s the only meal my mom made for the day, as a sign of respect. Up until today, I still wonder how my dad does it to still be eating this meal without complaining or getting tired of it; it’s an unsolved mystery. In general, you can eat it at any time of the year, but my mom likes to make it in the wintertime with a lot of spices so that it heats up the body system. So I guess to me it represents what my cousins are eating back home in my country knowing that they don’t have the same options as we do because of financial difficulties.


Recipe

Ingredients

– plantains
– black-eyed peas
– 3 cups beans
– 2 cans tomato paste
– 1 can diced tomatoes
– ½ cup vegetable oil

Procedure 
  1. Peel the skin off the plantains and cut the plantains diagonally into little pieces.In a frying pan, heat a little bit of oil. Add the plantains and fry for a maximum time of 10 minutes. When done, set aside in a warm place.
  2. In a pot, bring an average amount of water to a boil.
  3. Add the beans to the boiling water. Let boil for 30 minutes and then remove from heat.
  4. In a separate pot, combine tomato paste, diced tomatoes, pepper, vegetable oil, and any other spices you would like to put. When it starts to get hot, add the beans and mix together. Leave to cook for an extra 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from stove and serve. Everybody has different ways of eating it, but we generally use our hands to eat it.


Photo source:  http://mysite.verizon.net/vze827ph/ghanacafemenu.htm