Salatu Niebe (Senegalese Black-Eyed Pea Salad)
Abuja, Nigeria · Voir toutes les recettes
Aperçu
Salatu niebe is cooked black-eyed peas tossed with finely diced cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, spring onion and chilli, dressed with lime juice and olive oil. It is Senegalese and is usually served after the main meal rather than before it. Niebe is the Wolof word for black-eyed peas, and the bean is not an import. Cowpeas were domesticated in West Africa thousands of years ago and travelled to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade, which is why black-eyed peas are as fundamental to Southern American cooking as they are to Senegalese. The direction of that journey is frequently reversed in the telling. The technique is in the cutting. Everything except the peas is diced very finely, so each spoonful carries a bit of everything rather than separate components. That is what makes it read as a composed salad rather than beans with vegetables in. It travels and keeps well, which is why it is a standard dish for feeding a crowd, made ahead, it improves as the peas absorb the lime and oil. The source credits Chef Pierre Thiam with popularising it outside Senegal, and that attribution is well founded. Its ingredient list omits the olive oil and parsley that its own description requires.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Salatu niebe is a Senegalese salad of black-eyed peas with finely diced vegetables, lime juice and olive oil, usually served after the main meal. Niebe is the Wolof word for black-eyed peas, which were domesticated in West Africa and carried to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Drain the soaked black-eyed peas. Cook them in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 30 minutes or until tender.
- 2
Drain the peas and set them aside to cool completely. Warm peas will wilt the vegetables.
- 3
While the peas cook, wash, peel and finely dice the cucumber.
- 4
Wash, seed and finely dice the red bell pepper.
- 5
Wash and finely chop the tomato, green onion and chilli. Everything except the peas should be cut small, so each spoonful carries a bit of everything.
- 6
Juice the limes into a small bowl.
- 7
Put the cooled peas into a large bowl and mix in the vegetables, lime juice, olive oil and parsley.
- 8
Season well with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes de l’Africook
- Cool the peas completely before dressing. Warm peas wilt the cucumber and tomato and turn the salad soft.
- Dice everything finely. This is what makes it a composed salad rather than beans with vegetables scattered through.
- Make it ahead. It keeps and travels well and improves as the peas take up the lime and oil.
- Do not overcook the peas. They should hold their shape rather than collapsing into a mash.
- Season generously. Beans absorb a great deal of salt and an under-seasoned pulse salad tastes flat.
- Tinned black-eyed peas work if you are short of time, drain and rinse them thoroughly first.
Questions fréquentes
What does niebe mean?
It is the Wolof word for black-eyed peas, used across Senegal, The Gambia and Mali. The bean itself is West African: cowpeas were domesticated in the region thousands of years ago and carried to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade, which is why black-eyed peas are as central to Southern American cooking as to Senegalese. The direction of that journey is very often told backwards.
When is it served?
After the main meal, which is the Senegalese convention and different from the Western habit of serving salad first or alongside. It functions as something fresh and sharp to finish on. It is also served as an appetizer or a side dish outside that context, and it is a standard choice for feeding a crowd because it can be made well in advance and keeps.
Why is everything diced so finely?
So that each spoonful contains a bit of everything. Cut small, the cucumber, tomato, pepper and onion distribute evenly through the peas and the salad reads as a single composed thing. Cut large, you get beans and separate vegetables sharing a bowl. The peas are the only thing left whole, which gives the salad its texture and stops it becoming a relish.
Can I make it in advance?
Yes, and it is better for it, this is one of the few salads that genuinely improves on standing, because the peas absorb the lime juice and olive oil rather than being softened by them. A few hours in the fridge is ideal, and it will keep for a couple of days. If you are making it very far ahead, hold back the cucumber, which softens more than the other vegetables.
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