West African Beans Porridge with Plantains and Smoked Fish

Rinse 3 cups of honey beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water and 1 roughly chopped onion. Bring to a boil and simmer for 50 minutes until the beans are very tender.

Blend 2 red bell peppers and 2 Scotch bonnet peppers until smooth to create the pepper base.

In a separate pan, heat 1/2 cup of red palm oil over medium heat. Sauté 1 finely diced onion for 3 minutes until translucent.

Stir the blended pepper mixture into the palm oil and cook for 10 minutes to reduce the stew and build bold flavors.

Add the cooked stew base, 1/4 cup of ground crayfish, 300g of flaked smoked mackerel, 2 bouillon cubes, and 1 tsp of sea salt into the pot of tender beans. Stir well to combine.

Fold in 2 large diced ripe plantains. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until the plantains are soft, the flavors have melded, and the porridge has thickened to a rich consistency.