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Nyemba
Nyemba: Zimbabwean cowpeas stewed with onion and tomato and finished with peanut butter
Nyemba are cowpeas, grown on almost every rural plot in Zimbabwe, and the stewed beans are an everyday relish eaten at lunch or supper with a mound of sadza (white maize meal). Dried cowpeas are boiled until soft, then cooked down with onion, tomato and a generous spoon of peanut butter (dovi), which makes the sauce thick, nutty and rich. The usual mistake is adding salt and tomato too soon, which can keep the beans from softening; season once they are tender. Pressure cooker option: cook the soaked cowpeas for 12 minutes at pressure. Chef's tip: stir the peanut butter in off the boil and let it melt slowly; boiling it hard can make it gritty.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz dried cowpeas (black-eyed peas)soaked for 4 hours or overnight
- 5 cups water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried cowpeas (black-eyed peas), cover with the 5 cups water in a pot, bring to the boil and simmer partly covered for 45–50 minutes until soft but not falling apart.
50 minStep 2: Push the beans to one side, add 2 tbsp sunflower oil to the cleared space and fry 1 onion for 5 minutes, then add 3 tomatoes and cook for 6 minutes, stirring them into the beans, until the tomatoes collapse.
11 minStep 3: Add 1 tsp salt. Spoon off a ladle of hot liquid, whisk it with 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter (no added sugar) until smooth and stir it back in. Simmer very gently for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nyemba take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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