Baby and toddler recipes
🍌 Black-eyed bean and plantain stew
A West African-inspired stew of black-eyed beans in a gentle tomato and red pepper sauce, served with soft ripe plantain. Beans bring iron and protein, and the peppers add vitamin C.
Makes 4 baby portions plus 2 adult portions
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g tin Black-eyed peas (no added salt, drained and rinsed)
- 1 ripe (yellow with black spots) Plantain
- 2 Red pepper (roughly chopped)
- 1 x 400g tin plum Tomato (no added salt)
- 1 Onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp grated Ginger
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
- 2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
Method
- Blend the peppers, tomatoes, half the onion, ginger and garlic to a smooth sauce.
- Finely chop the remaining onion and soften it in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce, add the thyme and simmer for 20 minutes until it thickens and darkens a little.
- Add the beans and cook for 10 minutes more.
- Meanwhile peel the plantain, cut into thick slices and cook in the remaining oil over a low heat, or bake at 200C for 20 minutes, until soft and golden.
- Mash baby's beans with a fork and serve with plantain fingers.
Serving it to your baby
At 9 months mash the beans well and offer plantain cut into long fingers. From 12 months squash the beans lightly and serve plantain in strips. For a 6-month-old, blend the stew and serve soft plantain fingers to hold.
For the rest of the family
Season the adults' stew with salt and a little chilli or scotch bonnet, and serve with extra fried plantain.
Storing and reheating
Cool quickly (within an hour), then keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Freeze in small portions for up to 3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stir, then let it cool before serving. Never reheat more than once. Plantain is best cooked fresh.
Weaning with OBubba
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat plantain?
Yes. Ripe plantain becomes soft and sweet when cooked, and long fingers are easy for babies to hold. Do not serve it raw.
Are black-eyed beans good for babies?
Yes. They cook quickly, are soft and creamy when mashed, and offer plant iron, folate and protein.
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).