Ewa Agoyin (Nigerian Mashed Beans with Spicy Onion Pepper Sauce)

Name: Ewa Agoyin (Nigerian Mashed Beans with Spicy Onion Pepper Sauce)
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 300g dried black eyed beans; 1.2l water; 1 tsp salt; 3 large onions, thinly sliced; 100ml red palm oil; 1 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped; 2 tbsp dried chilli flakes; 1 tbsp fermented locust beans (iru), rinsed

Soft, mashed black eyed beans topped with a dark, smoky, very hot onion and palm oil sauce, a Lagos street food classic.

Time2 hr (plus soaking)
LevelMedium
Costabout £0.88 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

Estimated nutrition per serving

342kcal
22.3gcarbs
4.8gof which sugars
24.3gfat
7.1gsaturates
8gprotein
7.1gfibre
1.8gsalt

A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.

4 servings

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

300 gdried black eyed beans
1.2 lwater
1 tspsalt
3large onionsthinly sliced
100 mlred palm oil
1scotch bonnet chillideseeded and roughly chopped
2 tbspdried chilli flakes
1 tbspfermented locust beans (iru)rinsed

Method

1
Cover the beans with plenty of cold water and soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse.
2
Put the beans in a large pan with the 1200 ml fresh water. Bring to the boil, then simmer with the lid slightly open for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beans are completely soft and falling apart. Top up with hot water if they catch. By the end there should be very little liquid.
70 min
3
Mash the beans with a potato masher until mostly smooth but still a little rough. Stir in the salt, cover and keep warm.
4
Heat the palm oil in a wide pan over a medium low heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook slowly for 25 minutes, stirring often, until they are deep brown with dark crisp edges and smell sweet and smoky.
25 min
5
Blitz the scotch bonnet with a splash of water. Add it to the onions with the chilli flakes and locust beans and fry for 5 minutes, until the oil darkens and separates. Taste. It should be very hot.
6
Spoon the beans onto plates and pour the sauce over. Serve with fried plantain or soft white bread.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.