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Black-Eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Stew (Ndambe)
Both sweet potatoes and black-eyed peas are staples of West African cooking. In this recipe for Senegalese ndambe (pronounced NAM-bay), they're simmered together to make a hearty vegetarian stew. Our version is based on a recipe from Pierre Thiam's “Yolele!” cookbook. Canned black-eyed peas keep this dish fast and simple.
6
Servings
Tip
Don't use neutral-flavored oil in place of the coconut oil. Coconut oil—particularly unrefined—infuses the stew with a sweet aroma while adding richness.
40 minutes
Ingredients
-
2
tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
-
1
large yellow onion, finely chopped
Directions
-
01In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the coconut oil until shimmering. Add the onion, 1 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring, until light golden brown and softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chilies, then cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the black-eyed peas, bay leaves and 5 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
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January 2, 2023
Amazing
When I looked at the ingredients list, I was concerned this stew would be one note, boring, and dull. Wrong! I had depth, flavor in abundance, texture, and was surprisingly light for a stew. The only modification I made was to use three Hatch chiles instead of the Fresno chilis. And I used butternut squash already chopped from Costco instead of sweet potatoes. Super tasty, not salty, layered with flavor, and fun to try something brand new. I'll absolutely make it again!
December 22, 2022
Easy and Great Flavor
Surprising hearty.
October 7, 2022
Our new favorite
Very flexible
January 3, 2024
Fantastic!
Made this for New Year’s Day and it was a big hit. Note: I did sub veggie stock for the water
January 1, 2024
Very tasty and great on a cold day!
I made this today, and I echo others’ comments about the layers of flavor. It’s simple, but very, very satisfying. And not at all complicated to make. A perfect start to the new year.
OK... I normally dislike anyone who comments on a recipe and then goes on to say how they modified it. But, let's face it, soup in Summer is not where it's at. But make it into a stew that you can serve over rice and now you're talkin'! So here goes. I made according to recipe EXCEPT that I cut the water down to 3 cups, used only 2 cans of BE peas, substituted cilantro for parsley, and served over coconut rice. AND..... the crowd went wild!! Amazing flavors! Definitely a keeper (and we're not usually a Vegetarian-for-dinner Family!).
This was our plan for New Year's black-eyed peas. Well, we could only find one can of black-eyed peas so mixed with a can each of Crowder peas and black beans we had in the pantry. The dish was delicious and we'll definitely make it again. I would encourage you use a BIG dutch oven like the recipe calls for....I thought I could get away with a 4qt but had to transfer to a larger pot. I only had a couple of Jalapeno's so I used them with some Thai birds eye chili's which provided nice spice.
Delicious, healthy and straight forward to prepare. A winner.
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Made this one twice already and will make it again and again. It is flavorful with depth. Comparing to another African black eyed peas stew (red-red), this one nailed.