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Nigerian · West African

Ewa agoyin

Non-vegetarian

Ẹ̀wà àgànyìn

Very soft, mashed black-eyed beans topped with a dark, smoky sauce of slow-fried onions, dried chilli and palm oil. A Lagos street-food breakfast, typically eaten with bread.

Ewa agoyin is a Nigerian main course, ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes and made with black-eyed peas (dried), red palm oil and dried whole chillies. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
1 h 40 min
Total
1 h 50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
611

Ingredients

4 servings

For the agoyin sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the beans in plenty of water, topping up as needed, until they are falling apart. Season with 1 tsp salt and mash lightly with a spoon.

    A pinch of baking soda or a pressure cooker shortens the time considerably.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Heat the palm oil (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pan over medium-low heat and fry the onions (opens in a new tab) slowly until deep brown and almost crisp.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the dried chilli paste and blended pepper and fry, stirring often, until very dark and the oil separates. Stir in the crayfish and remaining salt.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Spoon the mashed beans into bowls and top generously with the sauce. Serve with bread.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Lagos, Nigeria · Commonly attributedA Lagos street food; the name refers to Agoyin people from neighbouring Benin and Togo, who are associated with selling it.More food from Nigeria
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Main courses · Street food
    Cooking method
    Boiled, Pan-fried
    Taste
    smoky, spicy (chilli heat), earthy, savoury
    Diet
    Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Whole-food focused, No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Budget-friendly · Street food · Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Black-eyed peas (dried) · Red palm oil · Dried whole chillies · Onion · Red bell pepper
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering · Bhunao

    Allergens

    • May contain: Milkfrom white bread
    • May contain: Eggsfrom white bread
    • Contains, can be adapted: Crustaceansfrom ground dried crayfish
    • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom white bread
    • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom white bread
    • May contain: Soyfrom white bread
    • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    611 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 375 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 16%
    • Carbohydrate 43%
    • Fat 41%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
    Energy611 kcal163 kcal
    Protein24.6 g6.6 g
    Carbohydrate67.7 g18.1 g
    Net carbohydrate55.3 g14.7 g
    Sugars10.5 g2.8 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre12.5 g3.3 g
    Fat28.8 g7.7 g
    Saturated fat13.8 g3.7 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium904 mg241 mg
    Salt equivalent2.3 g0.6 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1292 mg
    Calcium
    176 mg
    Iron
    8.7 mg
    Magnesium
    205 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    65 µg
    Vitamin C
    44 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    658 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: ground dried crayfish, white bread.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The sauce should be almost black — patience over low heat gives the deep, smoky flavour.

    Common mistakes

    • Undercooking the beans — ewa agoyin should be soft enough to mash with a spoon.
    • Frying the sauce over high heat: the onions and chilli scorch and turn bitter instead of slowly darkening.

    Serve with

    • Serve with soft bread or fried plantain.

    Food safety

    • Cool cooked beans quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat until steaming throughout.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate beans and sauce separately up to 3 days; the sauce keeps a week.

    Reheating

    • Reheat beans with a splash of water until steaming.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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