HOW TO MAKE EWA AGOYIN

Ewa Agoyin (also spelt as Ewa Aganyin) is both a popular street food and sometimes a household food in Lagos and many Yoruba households in Nigeria. Ewa is a Yoruba term for beans while Agoyin is a term used by Nigerians to refer to the Beninese and Togolese. Hence, Ewa Agoyin is the type of beans prepared by the Beninese and Togolese. It is a rich source of protein.

Tools: There are some kitchen utensils you need to make Ewa Agoyin:
2 pots
1 Cup
Electric pepper blender
Knife
Spatula/wooden spoon

INGREDIENTS
For the beans
3 Cups of White or Red Beans (preferably the red beans)
Salt to taste
6/8 Cups of Water

For the Sauce
¾ Cup of Dried Chilli or Pepper seeds
2 Dried Red Bell Pepper
1 Medium Onion bulb
1 Teaspoonful of Grated Ginger
2 Teaspoonfuls of Blended Crayfish
2 Seasoning Cubes
1 Cup of Palm Oil

Recipe for Ewa Agoyin
i. Sort the beans by picking the dirt out. Wash, drain and pour the beans into a pot of boiling water. Allow to cook till it softens. You can also cook briefly, remove the water then cook again till it softens. Add little salt to taste. This takes a longer time than for the unmashed beans; about 2 to 2 ½ hours on low heat.
ii. Use the wooden spoon to mash the already tender beans. The water content should be very low to avoid a poor result. Do not leave uncovered to avoid a crusty surface.
iii. The stew, which is the main reason for eating this type of beans, is prepared separately. Like the beans, it is an unusual preparation because it takes longer time before it is ready.
iv. Soak the pepper in a bowl of hot water for about 2 hours to get them soft. Pour the softened pepper into a blender, add a little water and blend.
v. Place the second pot on medium heat, add palm oil and heat. Slice the onion, pour it into the heated oil and stir till it changes to a dark brown colour.
vi. Add the chopped ginger, blended crayfish, pepper, salt and seasoning to the heated content. Stir the mix and cover to allow it fry for about 20 minutes or till the sauce becomes quite dark and crunchy. The oil should be seen above the sauce as it fries being an oily stew. By now, the aroma should have enveloped the kitchen or cooking area.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EWA (BEANS)
Beans can be prepared with or without the pepper and oil mix. Ewa agoyin is prepared separate from its sauce. Other type of beans can be prepared unmashed.

Eating Ewa Agoyin
Ewa Agoyin can be eaten as the main meal with soft bread, fried ripe, boiled ripe or unripe plantain or yam. It can be eaten as breakfast, lunch or supper. The specially prepared stew can be eaten with bread, yam, plantain or rice as preferred.

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