Ghanaian Egg Stew Recipe: Tomato Egg Stew for Kenkey and Rice
Ghanaian Egg Stew Recipe: Tomato Egg Stew for Kenkey and Rice
This is the weeknight pot of the Ghanaian home kitchen: eggs, tomato, onion, pepper, done in half an hour. Hard boiled eggs go into a tomato stew that has been cooked down properly, no raw tomato taste, and come out stained orange at the edges, soaked with flavor. With kenkey it is dinner. With ampesi or plain rice it is dinner again tomorrow.
The stew does the work and the eggs just ride along, which is why the method matters more than the ingredient list. The tomato must fry down until the oil separates and the sharpness is gone. Rush that step and the whole pot tastes unfinished. Give it its ten minutes and the eggs have something worth soaking in.
Ghanaian Egg Stew Recipe: Tomato Egg Stew for Kenkey and Rice
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Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 4 medium tomatoes, blended smooth, or 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large onion: half diced, half sliced into rings
- 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, whole or minced
- 1/3 cup vegetable or palm oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 stock cube
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Boil the eggs: cover with cold water, bring to a boil, simmer 10 to 12 minutes until fully firm. Cool in cold water, peel, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the diced onion until soft and golden at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes until the paste darkens slightly.
- Pour in the blended tomatoes and the Scotch bonnet. Cook, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the stew thickens, darkens, and the oil begins to separate at the edges. This is the step that makes the stew.
- Stir in the sliced onion rings and the stock cube. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Cut the peeled eggs in half and lay them cut side up in the stew, or leave them whole and score lightly. Spoon stew over them. Simmer on low 8 to 10 minutes so the eggs take up the sauce.
- Serve hot with kenkey, ampesi, or plain rice.
Tips
Cook the tomato down fully. The stew is ready for the eggs when it has thickened, darkened a shade, and you can see oil glistening at the edges. Undercooked tomato is the one thing that ruins this dish.
Halve the eggs. Cut side up, the yolks drink in the stew. Whole eggs look neater but stay plain inside. For a family pot, halve them.
Score whole eggs if you keep them whole. A few shallow cuts let the sauce in without breaking the egg apart in the simmer.
Frequently asked questions
Is egg stew the same as kosua ne meko?
No. Egg stew is boiled eggs simmered in a cooked tomato stew, a home meal served hot with kenkey or rice. Kosua ne meko is cold boiled eggs with raw fresh pepper sauce, a street snack. The site carries both; they point at each other and stay different.
Can I crack raw eggs into the stew instead?
You can, and some homes do, poaching the eggs right in the simmering tomato. It is a good dish, but it is a different dish: the eggs set soft and the stew stays looser. This recipe is the classic boiled egg version.
How long does egg stew keep?
Three days refrigerated in a sealed container. Reheat gently; the eggs toughen if boiled again. It is also a fine next-day lunch over rice.
Can I add corned beef or sardines?
Corned beef stirred in at step 4 is a known and loved variant. Sardines are less common in this stew; they belong more to the jollof and waakye side of the kitchen.