Beans, Peas and Pulses: The Quiet Protein Heroes of West African Cooking

Gari, fufu flour, pigeon peas and more. A beginner friendly guide to the West AfricaBlack eyed peas, pigeon peas and cowpeas are packed with plant based protein and fibre. Here is why they deserve a regular place on your plate, whatever your background.n pantry staples worth keeping on hand, and what to do with each one.

Plant based protein has had a long moment in UK food conversation, and most of it has centred on lentils, chickpeas and edamame. West African kitchens, meanwhile, have been getting the most out of beans, peas and pulses for generations, and as more people look beyond the usual suspects, they are worth a proper look regardless of where you are cooking from.

Black eyed peas, pigeon peas and cowpeas are all naturally high in protein and fibre, and low in fat. A single serving goes a long way toward keeping you full, which is part of why they show up so often as the main event in everyday West African cooking rather than as an occasional side. They are also considerably cheaper than most animal proteins, without asking much of a compromise on flavour or texture, which matters more than ever with food budgets under pressure across the UK right now.

What sets these apart from a lot of other pulses is how well they hold their shape. Cook them properly and they stay firm rather than turning to mush, which means they work well in dishes that need a bit of bite, like a bean and vegetable stew, or a cold bean salad with tomato, onion and a sharp dressing. Black eyed peas in particular are excellent mashed with a splash of the cooking liquid, then topped with a slow cooked pepper sauce, a dish called ewa agoyin that has been steadily winning people over well beyond West Africa in recent years. There is a reason this way of eating has stuck around for so long. As West African food has grown into a proper part of the UK’s food landscape, worth an estimated £1.5 billion a year and growing between 5 and 15 per cent annually by one recent count, the ingredients behind it are getting a second look too, and pulses are very much part of that story.

From a cooking perspective, dried peas and beans do need a bit of planning, mainly the soaking time, but that is largely where the effort ends. Ayoola’s range comes cleaned and ready to soak, so the only real decision left is what to season them with.

If your usual plant based rotation has started to feel a bit repetitive, pigeon peas, black eyed peas and cowpeas are worth working back in. They bring a different texture to the plate, they are properly budget friendly, and they connect back to a way of cooking that valued good plant based protein long before it became a trend worth naming.