African Lentils Stew

This dish should technically be called African Peanut Stew but because of my child’s allergy to peanuts I stopped buying peanuts after we found out. So for this recipe I replaced it with almond butter. This stew is perfect to eat on a cold winter night, it’s slightly smoky from the paprika and packed with spicy flavors without being spicy unless you add heat to it. Ideally Ethiopian Berbere spice mix would be perfect here, but because it’s not that common to find I replaced it with a combination of ground cumin, coriander and paprika. If you have berbere spice mix use it in place of the 3 spices mentioned.

Black eyed peas is common all over Africa nations and its diaspora. The recipes include soups, stews, fritters and even breads. It has one of the highest protein in the legume family and for some reason rarely gets the applause it deserves from chefs and nutritionists. So in the next couple of months I will feature black eyed peas instead of chickpeas which the world is obsessed with for (good reason) but I’m going to explore a vast variety of the legume family.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup black eyed peas, soaked overnight
• 5 collard or curly kale leaves
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 4 plum tomatoes chopped or 1-6 oz can tomatoes 
• 3-4 cloves about 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 thick inch fresh minced ginger 
• 1 tsp smoked paprika* see notes
• 1 tsp ground cumin* see notes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander* see notes
• 2 tablespoon chunky almond or peanut butter
• 1/4 cup red lentils
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• * use a tablespoon of berbere seasoning instead of (paprika, cumin coriander)for an authentic taste

Instructions

1. In a pot add the black eyed peas with 2cups of water and bring it to a boil. Simmer and cook covered for 30 minutes. Alternatively cook in a pressure cooker or insta pot till soft but not mushy. 
2. Add chopped onions, and cook for 5-6 Minuets till soft. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika, or berbere seasonings to become fragrant (about 2 minutes). Next add chopped tomatoes and cook for a minute. 
3. Add in the cooked black eyed peas, lentils and tomato paste and fold into onions and seasonings till well incorporated. 
4. Add in vegetable broth and almond or peanut butter, give mixture a good stir to evenly mix. 
5. Bring mixture to a boil.
6. Reduce heat back down to a simmer and cover with lid, allowing stew to cook for about 20 minutes.
7. Turn off heat and add in collard green strips, stirring to incorporate into stew.  Alternatively srirfry the greens and serve it on the side. I prefer it served on the side!
8. Season stew to taste with lemon juice and serve with scallions, cilantro and avocado and rice.