How to make Ewa Agoyin

Ewa Agoyin and Agege  bread is one food item that Lagosians are very familiar with even if some do not eat it. Beans and Agege bread is one of those local fast foods experiences before the advent of modernized fast food eateries in Nigeria. In Lagos neighbourhoods, mornings are always characterized  by the bread hawker announcing her presence with shouts of “Gege bread!” They have even shortened the name to modernize it. 🙂

I understand the name of  the bread comes from the area in Lagos, Agege,where there used to be a concentration of the bakeries.
For those that prefer this type of bread the attraction is the fact you have the freedom to tear the bread  and dunk in tea or pair it with beans, in particular Ewa Agoyin , which has found its way from the Republic of Togo to Nigeria. Ewa Agoyin( Agoyin beans) is basically beans cooked very soft in cast iron pot, mashed and served with pepper sauce. I used a pressure cooker and the result is the same . Of course pressure cooker is also faster.
The motivation to present this recipe was to find an interesting presentation to this popular Nigeria dish.. Ewa Agoyin  and Agege bread makes for a typical Nigerian breakfast.

Recipe for Ewa Agoyin

1 cup brown beans
1 small Onion
1 satchet Ginger/Garlic
70 cl water

Method
1 , Wash beans, chop Onion and pour everything into the pot add the seasoning and a little salt and boil for 30 minutes.
2, When beans is cooked ,using a spoon mash beans into a smooth paste.

 

Recipe for Pepper sauce

1 cooking spoon wet ground dry Pepper
1 Shawa  fish
1 cooking spoon ground Onion
1 tsp Ginger powder
2 cooking spoons Palm oil
1 beef seasoning
Salt to taste

Method
1, Heat the palm oil but not to smoking point
2, Fry the onion, pepper,fish, seasoning , ginger powder and salt
3,Fry till very dry but not burnt.
4, Spoon unto beans and your Ewa Agoyin is ready