Ewa Riro (Nigerian Stewed Beans)

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: African

Cook Time: 1 15

Total Time: 1 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 345kcal

Rich stewed beans are layered with flavor and cooked in the Yoruba tradition

Rinse beans and add to a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by one inch then add turkey to the pot.
Cover pot and cook over medium heat until beans have softened and most of the water has cooked off (about 45 minutes).
While beans cook, cut tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion into chunks. Add to blender with habanero pepper and one cup of water to assist blending process. Pulse ingredients in blender until a liquified, uniform mixture forms. Crush Maggi cubes into a powder.
Remove turkey from cooked beans and add in tomato mixture, crayfish, maggi cubes, and palm oil. Stir until incorporated.
Remove turkey meat and skin from bones and shred into bite sized pieces. It's helpful to use two forks for this.
Stir meat back into pot and continue cooking beans for another 30 minutes to one hour to achieve desired thickness and texture. Taste test and add salt, as needed.

Mashing the beans is optional and will create an even thicker texture. I use the back of a wooden spoon to mash a few against the side of the cooking pot. This is entirely of to preference.
Can I freeze cooked beans? Yes. I portion out my cooked black eyed peas or honey beans into soup cubes and store in the freezer for up to six months.
This recipe calls for two pounds of smoked turkey but the amount or presence of meat is optional if you want to make this a vegetarian meal. You can also use different parts such as turkey wings.
You can also try making ewa riro in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.