Chef of the Week: Adwoa Asare aka #Swag

Red/Red
Ingredients:
1 can of black eyed peas (optional.. you can use raw beans, but boil until soft prior to. Long process if you ask me)
1 large onion (maybe even 2.. onions = yummy)
1 tomato
Jamaican hot pepper
ginger
garlic
vegetable/palm/olive oil
beef/shrimp/fish (i use beef)
plantain

~~~Read the instructions Before you Start. Cooking is tricky like that, because there are some things you need to do while others are going on hahaha~~~

1. Chop onions.. fun times! My mom runs Water when she’s chopping onions. She says the extra oxygen does the eyes good. Add half of the onions to your heated oil of preference, and sautee. Add other half to blender.

2. In blender- onions, hot pepper, garlic, ginger and tomato (keeping it natural). These amounts are all added to your preference. But i usually add 1 Jamaican pepper, a thumb-sized piece of ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, and one small tomato. DISCLAIMER ~~you can use tomato paste in the sauteed onions as an alternative (but cook well).

3. Add the blended ingredients to the sauteed onions and oil in pot… let it do it’s thing on medium heat for 15 mins. Meanwhile add salt, black pepper, maggi or anything else you use for added flavor!

4. The party begins here. Add your fried beef, boiled chicken, seasoned shrimp etc. Let it jam for 10 more minutes. Keep checking flavor to see if it’s not too salty, or tasteless or tomatoey! (but remember it’s all about the BEANS so don’t over-meaterize!!)

5. The after party– add the canned beans. If you are using raw beans make sure you boil them until they are soft prior to ALL of this! Stir stir stir!!! … with make-up they say ‘blend blend blend”, with cooking you have to stir stir stir. You can even mash some of the beans for texture. Let it jam for another 5 mins

6. Heat oil for plantain (high for first 4 mins, then medium heat) Soak plantain in water and salt for 2 mins. Then FRY… but be careful! Water & hot oil do Not Go! 2-3 mins on each side for a Golden Brown color.

Et Voila… beans & plantain! aka RED/RED #swag