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Lapena
Lapena: Acholi pigeon peas cooked down in roasted sesame paste
Lapena comes out for Christmas, weddings and the days when relatives arrive in Gulu from Kampala: dried pigeon peas boiled until soft, then cooked slowly in roasted sesame paste until thick, earthy and nutty, with a faint bitterness from the sesame that balances the sweetness of the peas. Some families mash it smooth, others keep the peas whole; both are eaten with kwon millet bread, rice or boiled cassava. Dried pigeon peas are sold as toor or arhar (whole, not split) in Indian grocers. The common mistake is adding salt before the peas are tender, which keeps the skins tough. Chef's tip: if you can only find light tahini, toast it in a dry pan for a minute or two until it darkens to get closer to Acholi sesame paste.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz dried whole pigeon peassoaked overnight
- 6 ¼ cups waterfor boiling
- 5 ½ oz roasted sesame pasteor dark tahini
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 tomatochopped
- 1 ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: The night before, rinse 10 ½ oz dried whole pigeon peas, pick out any stones and soak in plenty of cold water for 8–12 hours.
Step 2: Drain, put the peas in a large pot with 6 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil over a high heat, skimming off the foam.
Step 3: Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, until the peas crush easily between two fingers. Top up with boiling water if they start to look dry.
75 minStep 4: Drain off all but about 250 ml of the cooking liquid, keeping the rest aside.
Step 6: Loosen 5 ½ oz roasted sesame paste with a ladle of the reserved cooking liquid until smooth and pourable, then stir it into the peas with 1 ½ tsp salt.
Step 7: Cook over a low heat, stirring and mashing a few of the peas against the side of the pot, until it is thick enough for a spoon to leave a trail and the sesame smells toasty.
20 minStep 8: Taste for salt and serve warm with millet bread or rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 15 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lapena take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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