This recipe is a super simple vegan-friendly tomato-based stew using Garden Eggs to make a delicious, flavour-packed dish.

What are Garden Eggs?

Garden eggs are a teardrop fruit indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is very similar in nature to the purple eggplant/aubergine many know; however, it has its own distinctive features. The Garden egg gets its name from its pale colour which resembles eggs. They do not grow large and have been known to be the African version of South America’s tomato, as they are all in the same genus. (Lost crops) These fruits made their way to England (as Guinea Squash) before the Asian cultivars of eggplant, which quickly replaced the fruit.

Now the garden egg is mainly used in Africa with a few varieties making their way to the Americas via the slave trade. Across Africa, these eggplants come in a diversity of shapes (pointed teardrop, tomato-like and squash-like) and colours (pale yellow, purple, red and green) These fruits are full of water, high in fibre and a moderate amount of potassium. They are great in soups and stews as they absorb so much flavour.

What you will need for this stew

• Aromatics: Like every Ghanaian stew, the base starts with onion, ginger, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper
• Tomato: For a rich tomato flavour, we are using both raw tomatoes and tomato paste
• Palm Oil: Red palm oil, although not essential, is incredibly important in adding a rich flavour to this stew
• Garden Eggs: These are the star of this dish. Alternatively, you can use small purple eggplants but it’s not the same
• Seasoning: We are keeping the seasoning simple with salt, better than bouillon paste, and curry powder

How to make Garden Egg Stew

20 garden eggs (can use more or less depending on preference)
2 medium onions ( 1 finely diced, 1 roughly chopped)
3 tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 thump sized amount of ginger
2 tbsp of red palm oil
1/4 cup of tomato paste
1 tsp of better than bouillon paste
2 tsp of curry powder
salt to taste

1. Cut the tops of the garden eggs, then cut them in half
2. boil in a pot with water and salt for 15-20 mins till soft
3. Set aside to cool down
4. In another pot, at medium heat, heat your red palm oil and saute the diced onions till soft
5. While the onions are sauteeing, blend the other onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and bell pepper
6. Add the tomato paste with the sauteed onions and let it cook down for about 2-3 mins
7. Add the blended mixture into the pot with the sauteed onion and tomato paste and let everything cook down at medium heat for 10 mins.
8. After the 10 minutes, add the curry powder and better than bouillon paste and let the stew continue to cook for 10 minutes or till thick
9. While the stew is cooking, you can start to remove the seeds from the garden eggs. This is completely optional.
10. Chop the garden eggs a little bit and then add them to the sauce. Lower the heat and let the garden eggs simmer for about 5 minutes to absorb the flavour
11. Serve with boiled yam and plantains

For added plant-based protein you can add tofu to the stew along with the garden eggs or beans.