Ayimolou — Togo

Ayimolou brings rice and cowpeas, a type of small bean also called black-eyed pea, together in the same pot, cooked until both are tender and the rice takes on a reddish tint from palm oil and tomato. It is typically served with a side sauce and a protein of choice, whether meat, fish or eggs, along with vegetables. It is reported mainly from Togo and, under related names, from neighbouring West African countries including Benin, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria, where similar rice-and-bean combinations appear on the street food scene and at home. It is eaten at any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner, and is a common item at street stalls. To prepare it, cowpeas are soaked and partly cooked first, since they take longer than rice, then rice is added along with palm oil, chopped tomato, onion and a little chilli, and everything cooks together in one pot until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned soft. The dish is served warm, generally with a separate spicy sauce spooned over the top, and with a piece of grilled or fried meat, fish, a boiled egg, or sautéed vegetables on the side. What distinguishes this version from similar rice-and-bean dishes of the region is mainly the use of palm oil for both colour and flavour and the choice of cowpeas rather than another bean, along with the wide range of accompaniments it is served with, which differ from household to household and from one street stall to the next, without any single pairing being set apart from the rest.