Black-Eyed Pea Stew Recipe by Rogue Vegan

Ingredients: 

1 finely chopped Red Onion 

4-5 minced fresh Garlic

2 Bay Leaves 

A thumb of grated or mashed Ginger 

1 tbsp Caribbean Curry Powder (Betapak)

1 tbsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Ground Pimento (All-Spice)

1 tsp Onion Granules 

1 tsp Garlic Granules 

1 tsp Herbamare (optional)

1 tbsp Ground Mixed Spice

2 tbsp Dried Thyme 

2 tbsp Tomato Purée

2 tbsp Coconut Sugar 

1 Kallo Veg Stock Cube (dissolved in a few tbsps Water)

1.5 tsp Celtic Salt (or sea salt)

1 whole Scotch Bonnet Chilli or Chilli Oil to taste 

2 tbsp Molasses (we used pomegranate molasses)

1 tbsp Dark Soy or Browning 

1/2 cup Coconut Milk 

1 cup Black-eyed Pea cooking Water

Squeeze of Lime

1.5 cups dried Black-Eyed Peas, when cooked = 3 cups cooked peas or can use tinned 

1.5-2 cups steamed Pumpkin 

1 finely sliced Spring Onion

Chopped fresh Coriander (to finish)

Directions:

1. In preparation for this dish, you will need to pre-steam or boil about a quarter of a medium pumpkin. For this, you can place the quartered pumpkin into a steamer or straight into a pot of boiling water. 
2. Once steamed you can peel and cut it into chunks easily. 
3. You will also need to pressure cook some Black-eyed Peas or you can use tinned beans, but the cooking liquid from the Black-eyed Peas does add flavour to the dish. Pressure cooking times vary depending on the device being used to cook and the length of time that the beans are soaked, or if you are choosing to soak them at all. Check with your manual. 
4. Now, start by finely chopping or slicing your onions. Keep the red onion and spring onion separate, as they are being added at different times during the dish.
5. Bring a nonstick or stainless steel pot to a medium heat and add in the oil of your preference. We tend to use avocado or grapeseed oil as they have a high smoke point.
6. Add in your finely chopped red onion, bay leaves and minced garlic. Cook these on medium low for a few minutes or until the onions have become translucent. You may want to sprinkle a little salt on them to help prevent them from burning.
7. Next, you want to add in your Ginger; let this cook for a minute or so. We add this in separately to the garlic and onion as ginger slows down the cooking of the onions.
8. Now add in the coconut sugar to add a bit of sweetness to the dish. Stir it in well and let it melt a little.
9. You can now add in your tomato purée, dry spices/herbs, veg stock and chilli. You can add as much or little chilli as suits you. Fry these for a minute or until they become aromatic.
10. Add in the pumpkin and mash slightly. You don’t need the pumpkin to remain chunky in this as the pumpkin is actually one of the ingredients that give this dish its flavour.
11. Add in one cup of the cooking liquid from the Black Eyed Peas.
12. You can now stir in your peas , molasses, and dark soy sauce. Let this cook for 10 minutes or so.
13. Add your salt to taste, spring onions and the coconut milk. This is optional however, as the dish tastes great without it. The coconut milk just adds a lovely creaminess to the stew. 
14. Cook for 20 to 30 more minutes and then finish with a squeeze of lime and a dash of coriander. Enjoy!