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A loaf of pink moi-moi, on a white plate.
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5 from 5 votes

Moi Moi / Moin Moin [Nigerian Bean Pudding Recipe]

This Nigerian steamed bean pudding is a simple dish - few, basic ingredients, it doesn't look like much - but it's full of flavour and super satisfying. One of our favourite dishes.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Soaking Time9 hours
Total Time12 hours
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: African, Gluten-free, Nigerian, Vegetarian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 People
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Marie Porter

Equipment

  • 2 Loaf Pans

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Dry Black Eyed Peas
  • 2 Large Red Bell Peppers
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 2 Habanero Peppers
  • 2 Garlic Cloves pressed
  • 2 cubes Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • cup Vegetable Oil

Instructions

The night before you want to make this, get the beans started:

  • In a large bowl, cover the beans with hot water, allow to soak for 1 hour. Drain the water off, transfer beans to a food processor, and blitz about ten times, just to break them up a bit. Return beans to the large bowl, cover with hot water, and agitate – the skins will start to float.
  • Use a slotted spoon to skim off floating skins, and dispose. Stir the beans with your hands a bit, rubbing beans together as you go – more skins will float. Skim those off, and repeat.
  • Once skins stop floating, I pour the water off carefully – it’ll bring more skins with it. I’ll scoop bits of skins off the surface of the beans – sometimes they don’t get carried off by the water. Cover with more water, and repeat.
  • Once I’m happy with the amount of skins removed, I’ll cover it with hot water one more time, and allow it to soak overnight.

To make the moi-moi:

  • Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Liberally spray two glass bread pans (or several ramekins) with cooking spray, set aside.
  • Chop and seed the bell and habanero peppers, peel and chop the onion. Add peppers, onion, garlic, and bouillon cubes to food processor, process until smooth.
  • Drain the beans, add beans to food processor and process til smooth. Add a little water, if you need, to get it going – but not a lot. I tend to let the food processor run for about 5 minutes, your mileage may vary.
  • Once smooth, add salt, paprika, and vegetable oil, blitz again until well incorporated.
  • Place each bread pan into a larger baking dish. Add water to large baking dish until about halfway up the sides of the moi-moi dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, transfer to oven.
  • Bake for about 2 – 2 ½ hours, until the sides of the moi-moi start to pull away from the baking dish. Allow to cool a little, before inverting onto a serving plate.
  • Serve warm, enjoy!

Notes

If you happen to live near an Indian or African grocery store, you might be lucky enough to find bags of skinned blackeyed peas. (In African grocers, they are sometimes just labeled as Moi Moi Beans, or similar).
If you can, BUY THESE! You can skip everything with getting the skins off, and it really makes life a lot nicer!

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 492mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 738IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg