What's for dinner? Black Eyed Peas with Cornbread 米豆跟玉米蛋糕

My Georgia friend David knows that I like black eyed peas (the food and the music group), and so presented me with a vacuum-sealed package that he picked up here in Taiwan.

They are usually called 米豆 "rice beans" in Taiwan, and they're more popular than I thought.

In fact, there's even a restaurant in Kaohsiung called 米豆便當 "Black Eyed Peas Lunch Box" [Google Maps]

Let's cook!

Ingredients – Black Eyed Peas

1 pound dry black eyed peas 5 cups water 4 cubes chicken bouillon 1/2 pound bacon 1/4 cup butter 1 onion, chopped 1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Black pepper to taste

Place the peas in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cool water.
Let the peas soak for 8 hours/overnight.


Drain the peas and place in slow-cooker pot.
Dissolve the bouillon cubes in 5 cups of water and add to the peas.

Cook the bacon until browned; set bacon aside to cool.
Retain the bacon grease in the pan and add the butter.

Cook the onion until golden.
Stir the onions and cooking fat into the peas.


Crumble the bacon and add to the peas.


This was the only ham available at my local market.
Using this ham, I didn't need to add pepper—nor papper!


Slice the ham and add to the peas.


If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon—more or less to taste—of red pepper flakes or other hot spice.
Since I had recently ordered pizza, I used the Pizza Hut chili flakes that came with my order.

Cook on low for 8~10 hours.

Ingredients – Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal 1 cup flour 1/4 sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, oil, and egg together.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into a greased pan.
Bake 20~25 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until toothpick (or chopstick in my case!) comes out clean.

Serve the black eyed peas with warm corn bread. Yummy!