Soups & Stews

Adalu

Name: Adalu
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 400 g dried honey beans or black-eyed peas (sorted and rinsed); 400 g fresh sweetcorn kernels (or thawed frozen sweetcorn); 150 g onion (finely chopped); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (finely chopped, or to taste); 75 ml red palm oil; 2 tbsp ground dried crayfish (optional); 1.5 litres water (initial cooking amount); 750 ml additional hot water (as needed); 1 tsp fine salt (plus more to taste)

A one-pot pottage of soft beans and sweet corn, enriched with palm oil and pepper. Adalu pairs two everyday staples: beans and maize. NICO lists ewadalu under Ogun cuisine, and Flo Chinyere connects the dish with fresh corn season. The contrast is part of its appeal: tender beans make the sauce creamy while the corn kernels keep their distinct shape and bite. Cultural context: Adalu is the Yoruba name for this beans-and-maize combination, with related dishes and local names elsewhere.

Adalu beans-and-corn pottage in a serving dish

Beans_and_Corn_(maize)_porridge.jpg by Nancy Nwachukwu, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

15 minPreparation

100 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

400 g dried honey beans or black-eyed peassorted and rinsed
400 g fresh sweetcorn kernelsor thawed frozen sweetcorn
150 g onionfinely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepperfinely chopped, or to taste
75 ml red palm oil
2 tbsp ground dried crayfishoptional
1.5 litres waterinitial cooking amount
750 ml additional hot wateras needed
1 tsp fine saltplus more to taste

Let’s get cooking

1
Put beans, onion, and 1.5 litres water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 60–80 minutes, until the beans are very tender. Keep the beans covered with liquid by adding hot water as needed.
2
Add the corn, chilli, palm oil, optional crayfish, and salt. Stir gently and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the corn is cooked and the oil is incorporated.
3
If the beans are still firm, continue cooking and add water in small amounts. If too soupy once everything is tender, cook uncovered for a few minutes.
4
Press a small spoonful of beans against the pot and stir back in for a creamy sauce, leaving most beans and kernels whole.
5
Taste, adjust salt, and stand for 5 minutes before serving. The pottage should settle softly in a bowl rather than run like broth.

A little kitchen wisdom

The timing is for sweetcorn; mature field maize needs longer separate cooking before it joins the beans. Canned corn is already cooked: drain it and add during the final 5 minutes instead. Timing: active preparation 15 min; cooking 100 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 115 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Ewa ati agbado, Beans and corn pottage

Adalu is the Yoruba name for this beans-and-maize combination, with related dishes and local names elsewhere.

Allergens: Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

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Adalu

Beans_and_Corn_(maize)_porridge.jpg by Nancy Nwachukwu, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

15 minPreparation

100 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

400 g dried honey beans or black-eyed peassorted and rinsed
400 g fresh sweetcorn kernelsor thawed frozen sweetcorn
150 g onionfinely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepperfinely chopped, or to taste
75 ml red palm oil
2 tbsp ground dried crayfishoptional
1.5 litres waterinitial cooking amount
750 ml additional hot wateras needed
1 tsp fine saltplus more to taste

Let’s get cooking

1
Put beans, onion, and 1.5 litres water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for 60–80 minutes, until the beans are very tender. Keep the beans covered with liquid by adding hot water as needed.
2
Add the corn, chilli, palm oil, optional crayfish, and salt. Stir gently and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the corn is cooked and the oil is incorporated.
3
If the beans are still firm, continue cooking and add water in small amounts. If too soupy once everything is tender, cook uncovered for a few minutes.
4
Press a small spoonful of beans against the pot and stir back in for a creamy sauce, leaving most beans and kernels whole.
5
Taste, adjust salt, and stand for 5 minutes before serving. The pottage should settle softly in a bowl rather than run like broth.