This is a very quick post and I hope you'll enjoy the recipe as much as I did. Adalu (also known as ewa alagbado) is simply the combination of stewed beans and corn. It is technically a one-pot dish, and it is delicious, creamy, and super comforting.
Adalu Recipe
Maize (corn) in Nigeria is seasonal, so you don’t get to eat as much as you would like unless it is in season. The abundance of fresh corn called ‘Ibe-eni’, meaning the fresh harvest of the day.
Growing up, the only person I knew who ate adalu year-round was my neighbor, and she always used canned sweet corn. I never understood her choice then. But as they say, the heart wants what it wants, so don't knock it until you try it. To cut a long story short, I haven't looked back since I started adding canned sweet corn to my beans instead of the fresh ones. Also, living in diapora means your only option is canned corn. A win is a win in this case, I eat ewa alagbado whenever I want.
I thought I said this was a quick post. Lol... For this simple and delicious Adalu recipe, I used black-eyed beans, which was my first time, too. Just as I was a latecomer with the canned sweet corn, I didn’t know I was missing not cooking with these beans. It is affordable, easy to cook, and it tastes amazingly good too.
I am rewriting some of the body of this post in 2025 (13/01/2025) and YES, I still eat black-eyed peas and it is still the best when cooking Nigerian stewed beans or with corn.
Please note that this recipe is the basic and one of the best ways of cooking adalu. Also, the ratio of palm oil, crayfish, or corn to bean depends on you. So feel free to make this recipe your own. Ideally, the beans ratio should be higher than the corn.
Ingredients
2 cups raw beans: I used black-eyed peas. However, honey or brown beans are popular choices, and they can be found in African or Asian stores.
2 x 400g canned sweet corn
½ cup palm oil or as needed
2 red bell peppers (tatashe)
2 medium onion: You can use any type of onion you have, red, brown, white or even shallots.
1 Scotch bonnet (data rodo) or as needed
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder: Substitute with stock cubes like knorr
2 tablespoons crayfish
Ripe plantain: this is optional
How to make adalu
Pick the beans so they are debris-free. Rinse the beans clean and add to a pot or pressure cooker.
Cover with water (the water should be about 3 inches over the beans). Add 1 chopped onions. Stir to combine and cook on medium heat until about 90% tender.
In the meantime, blend the red bell pepper, 1 onion and scotch bonnet together until smooth or your desired consistency is achieved and set aside. Peel and slice the plantain (if using).
Add the sliced plantain, palm oil, pepper mix, ground crayfish, bullion powder (or cube), and salt to the beans and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes on medium low heat. Check on the beans and corn intermittently to check the liquid and also that it is not burning. If the water level is too low, you can add more (about ½ cup at a time)
The water level should be about ½ of the quantity of the beans.
Taste and adjust the seasoning and continue to cook until your desired consistency is achieved. Serve and enjoy. You will know the beans are fully cooked when it is very soft and can be easily mashed with no resistance.
Other Nigerian beans recipes you will love
Enjoy. x
Adalu
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw beans I used black-eyed peas
- 680 g canned sweet corn
- ½ cup palm oil or as needed
- 2 red bell peppers tatashe
- 2 medium onion divided
- 1 Scotch bonnet or as needed
- salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
- 2 tablespoons crayfish
- 1 ripe plantain optional
Instructions
- Pick the beans so they are debris-free. Rinse the beans clean and add to a pot or pressure cooker.
- Cover with water (the water should be about 3 inches over the beans). Add 1 chopped onions. Stir to combine and cook on medium heat until about 90% tender.
- In the meantime, blend the red bell pepper, 1 onion and scotch bonnet together until smooth or your desired consistency is achieved and set aside. Peel and slice the plantain (if using).
- Add the sliced plantain, palm oil, pepper mix, ground crayfish, bullion powder (or cube), and salt to the beans and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes on medium low heat.
- Check on the beans and corn intermittently to check the liquid and also that it is not burning. If the water level is too low, you can add more (about ½ cup at a time)The water level should be about ½ of the quantity of the beans.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly and continue to cook until your desired consistency is achieved. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Beans take longer to cook so avoid adding salt while it is still hard. Always add salt at the tail end of your cooking. If you have a pressure cooker, it cuts down time and saves energy when used to cook beans.
- If you don’t have a pressure cooker, add potash also called akaun to the beans as it also speeds up the process.
Instant pot instructions
Add washed beans to the instant pot and add water (2 inches above the beans). Cover the IP and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Leave to NPR (Natural Pressure Release) for 5-10 minutes then carefully release the valve until there is no more pressure in the pressure cooker. Open the instant pot and add the rest of the ingredients to the beans, including the corn. Do not stir together or you will get the BURN notice. Place the lid back on the IP, secure the valve, and cook on high pressure for 12-15 minutes. Leave to NPR for 10 minutes before you release the valve. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve and enjoy. Note: Check the water level before adding the rest of the ingredients. You should have at least 1-11/2 cups of liquid to finish cooking the beans. Note 2: Rinse the lid of the IP under cold running water. This process will release any pressure left in the valve. Also, check that the silicon ring is properly placed before you continue cooking.Nutrition
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This is great but, any recipe for fresh corn included
Well, my 2 favourite meals in combo, beans with plantain and beans with white maize but not sure I’d put all 3 together.
Also, I contest the use of sweet corn....I’ve eni has no equal in this arena.
Ok I declare a vested interest as someone who is getting into ibe eni distribution soon but instincts and a faded memory tell me sweet corn just will not compare.
Great job