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    Home » Beans Recipes » Ewa Agoyin

    Published: Apr 3, 2015 · Modified: Aug 12, 2019 by Ajoke

    Ewa Agoyin

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Ewa aganyin (ewa agoyin) in all its glory! Have you had one of those moments where all you crave for is something that can’t be easily sourced? You just want it and if you can’t find it then you try to make your own version or recreate the memory you have about that particular food.

    ewa agoyin.

    I have a craving for Ewa aganyin, (mashed beans and special sauce) Ewa aganyin (ewa agoyin) is one of the most popular street foods eaten in Nigeria. I remember waiting outside the house for the hawker so I can buy this special kind of beans. I use to wonder why ewa aganyin (ewa agoyin) is expensive but I got to appreciate it when I started making it myself. Once you mash the beans, you will be left with almost nothing and the amount of oil that goes into making the stew is a lot.

    Again, living outside Nigeria means I have to make do with the ingredients I find. I used crushed chillies and mehn! Bae didn’t find it funny. Each time I make this, he always complains about how hot it is. So if you are making yours and you are able to source the right ingredients, make sure the ratio of your dried red bell pepper is higher than the dried bird's eye chillies. This helps to tone down the hotness

    I learnt something from a food seller that I once met, she upped her beans game by selling the aganyin sauce with her regular beans and this method pulled more crowds for her, she used a mixture of dried bell pepper, regular red bell pepper, dried eye chillies and lots of onions.  If you have any of these listed ingredients, use them and you would still get the original Togolese Ewa aganyin taste.

    ewa agoyin recipe

    Ingredients

    2-3 cups Beans, picked and dirt free

    4 medium-size onions

    100g crushed chillies, soaked in warm water for at least 3 hours, or overnight preferably

    Palm oil, you will need a lot of this.

    Salt

    Seasoning

    How to make ewa agoyin

    Both sauce and beans can be cooked simultaneously if you have more than one gas/electric burner and if not, just cook them separately

    The mashed beans: Place a pot on medium heat, add rinsed beans, enough water to cook and add half of the chopped onions, and bring to boil until tender. This might take a while, but quicker if you have a pressure cooking pot. Add water in between to avoid the beans drying out/ burning. Add salt to taste at the tail of the cooking. Beans have to be really tender so as to be able to mash properly. Once beans are tender, mash till almost smooth.

     

    image of raw beans and cooked brown honey beans

    Whilst you are waiting on the beans to cook, start frying the sauce. Making the sauce requires a lot of patience and I mean a lot of it and be ready to use lot of palm oil.

    Kitchen note: I recommend you bleach large amount of oil and set aside before cooking. Add to the stew as required once you feel the need for it.

    The sauce tends to soak up the palm oil so it is advisable you cook on a low heat.

    Ewa agoyin sauce:

    Drain soaked crushed chillies and blend with 3 onions to a purée. (Add a little bit of water when blending)

    image of chilli flakes and onion

    Place a clean/dry pan on a medium high heat, pour in palm oil and bleach, add the half chopped onions and continue frying till onion is brown but not burnt.  (Keep your kitchen well ventilated during this process)

    process shot of how to fry onions in palm oil for nigerian dishes

    Add blended pepper and cook on a low heat, once pepper mixture start changing colour from bright red to brownish, add salt and seasoning to taste.

    image of ewa aganyin sauce in a pan

    Don’t worry if it seems the sauce is soaking up the oil; add more palm oil if needed but not water and always stir in between.

    You need to keep an eye on the sauce so it doesn't burn too much. Despite cooking on low heat I still needed to change my pot as you can see in the pictures. I did so, as I didn't want the burnt bit to affect the taste of the sauce.

    Continue to cook on low heat till oil floats on the top. Serve ewa aganyin with agege bread.

    image of togolese beans and sauce

    how to make ewa agoyin
    Print Recipe
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    Ewa Agoyin

    Ewa agoyin or aganyin is one of the most popular street foods eaten in Nigeria and some part of Africa. Ewa agoyin is best eaten with agege bread or boiled yam
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: African
    Keyword: Ewa Agoyin, Togolese beans
    Servings: 8
    Author: Ajoke| My Active Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups Beans picked and dirt free
    • 41/2 medium size onions
    • 100 g crushed chillies soaked in warm water for at least 3 hours, or overnight preferably
    • 6 cups Palm oil or more
    • Salt
    • bouillon cube

    Instructions

    How to cook the mashed beans:

    • Place a pot on medium heat, add rinsed beans, enough water to cook and add half of one chopped onions, and bring to boil until tender.
      This might take a while, but quicker if you have a pressure cooking pot. Add water in between to avoid the beans drying out/ burning. 
      Beans have to be really tender so as to be able to mash properly. Once beans are tender, mash till almost smooth. Add salt to beans to taste

    Whilst you are waiting on the beans to cook, start frying the agoyin sauce. Making the sauce requires a lot of patience and I mean a lot of it and be ready to use lot of palm oil.

    • tip: I recommend you bleach a large amount of oil and set aside before cooking. Add to the stew as required once you feel the need for it.

    How to cook ewa aganyin

    • The sauce tends to soak up the palm oil so it is advisable you cook on low heat.
    • Blend soaked chilli flakes, water and 3 onions till puree
    • Place a pan on medium-high heat, add palm oil and bleach. add the remaining chopped onions and continue frying till onion is brown but not burnt. (Keep your kitchen well ventilated during this process)
    • Add blended pepper and cook on a low heat, once pepper mixture start changing colour from bright red to brownish, add salt and seasoning to taste.
    • Don’t worry if it seems the sauce is soaking up the oil, add more palm oil if needed but not water.

    Notes

    • Both agoyin sauce and beans can be cooked simultaneously if you have more than one cooking burner and if not, just cook them separately.
    • Keep your kitchen well ventilated when bleaching palm oil
    • Please be careful when pouring the pepper into the palm oil to avoid splatter

    how to make ewa aganyin

    Can you spy my Agege bread in the picture? I have baked spicy cheese bread since the last time I made agege bread. You should check them out

    Happy Holidays and enjoy today as it is the only day practising Christians are mandated to be vegan/vegetarian. Enjoy

    Thanks for your lovely feedbacks, especially to my new found friends on facebook

    « How to peel beans with a blender or food processor
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hyspence says

      July 11, 2021 at 9:20 am

      This is very useful, as I’ve been craving for it...thanks ma’am!

      Reply
    2. Jackie says

      March 04, 2021 at 6:20 pm

      When do I add the bell pepper

      Reply
    3. HO says

      April 08, 2015 at 2:17 pm

      Nice one, but why you come hide the agege bread now? lol

      Reply
    4. Love says

      April 08, 2015 at 2:16 pm

      You have just taken me to Lagos and back with this. keep up the good work and I love you blog.

      Reply

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

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