Beans and rice can be a big part of a vegan diet but you don’t have to get bored eating the same ole thing. It’s time to get creative! Black-eyed peas a popular not only here in the US but also in the motherland. I posted a recipe for red red from Ghana last spring, inspired by our recent trip there.
This recipe uses spices from Ethiopia, more specifically berbere seasoning. Berbere is a very flavorful and spicy mixture of wonderful spices such as cumin, cardamon, paprika cayenne and ginger just to name a few of the ingredients. There are different variations of the recipe. You can make your own blend or purchase berbere already made.
You may want to use more or less of the berbere depending on your taste preferences. I also added a small can of coconut milk to add some creaminess. The kitchen was smelling fantastic all afternoon! The peas tasted fantastic too.
- 1 lb dry black eye peas, rinsed
- 1 medium onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1-3 hot peppers
- 3-5 TBL paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cardamon
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2-3 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground fenugreek
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp Chipotle pepper powder
- ½ - 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ tsp ground allspice
- 2 TBL salt
- 1 small can coconut milk (optional)
- Chop onion, pepper and garlic.
- Heat olive oil in pot.
- Add chopped vegetables
- Add spices
- Stir and sauté until onions become translucent
- Add peas
- Pour in 6 cups water
- Bring to boil.
- Reduce heat to low cover and let cook for 2 hours.
- Taste and add more berbere if desired.
- Add coconut milk and stir to mix
- Simmer until peas are tender
- Serve with rice or injera.
Have you tried berbere? Do you use other spices in your blend?
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Made this and this was absolutely delicious! Although I haven’t fully converted to vegetarianism all the way just yet I am incorporating eating less meat. Had a friend of mine try it and he really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing your insights and these awesome recipes. Excited to try others listed here. 🙂
Idi Edem, I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. The journey to vegetarianism is a gradual move for many people. My goal is to be sure that journey does not mean losing out on great tasting food. Keep moving forward!