Ofada Stew (Easy-to-follow Recipe)
Ofada stew is a locally made Yoruba (Ijebu) stew specifically crafted for Ofada rice. I must confess that the demand for this recipe in the last few months has been through the roof.
Numerous individuals have expressed a keen interest in learning how to make Ofada stew, also known as ayamase in Yoruba.
The image above showcases a delicious pot of Ofada stew (sauce), yummy right?
This recipe shows you exactly how to make ofada sauce (stew). I suppose you know how to boil rice. 😉
Because we serve ofada rice and sauce, as you can see at the bottom of this page.
What you Need For Ofada Stew
Ofada stew (sauce) is made with a combination of green peppers and red peppers, then assorted meat, hard-boiled eggs, and palm oil. Picture below showcases some of the popular ingredients used for making this sauce.
I used 3 different kinds of peppers. Green pepper should be – like 50 percent, tatashe or shombo should be about 40 percent. Then 2 cups of sliced onions.
Scotch bonnet peppers are used just for the heat.
Complete Ingredients For Making Ofada Sauce
Two tablespoons of ground crayfish
300g Green Peppers
3 scotch bonnet peppers
300g Tatashe or shombo peppers
2 cups of sliced onions
Assorted meat – 800g
2 cups of palm oil
2 seasoning cubes
6 hard-boiled eggs
salt to taste.
How To Make Ofada Stew
Step 1
Combine the peppers (shombo pepper, scotch bonnet, and green pepper). Blend to a smooth paste.
Don’t forget to remove the seeds in the green pepper and shombo before grinding. The seeds can completely alter the taste of your ofada sauce.
Step 2
Set a clean pot on heat; add the 2 cups of palm oil. Allow bleaching/ heating for just 2 minutes. Add the one and half cup of sliced onion, the more the merrier.
Stir and allow to fry for a minute.
Step 3
Add the ground pepper combination.
Allow it to fry for the next 10-15 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid burning.
How to Cook Ofada Sauce
Step 4
Once the pepper-onions is well fried, add the pre-cooked assorted meat and stock (meat water).
Step 5
Add two tablespoons of ground crayfish and salt to taste. Also, add the locust bean (iru). Add a stock cube, stir and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Step 6
Add the eggs, stir and let the stew simmer on medium heat for another 5 minutes.
That is just how to make ofada sauce or stew (Ayamase).
Yes, a delicious looking pot of ofada stew.
Serve with boiled rice.
How to Prepare Ofada Rice
Ofada rice is another name for Abakiliki (local rice), it is starchy and tastes way better than the foreign rice. Pick out stones and sands from the rice and cook the same way you already know to cook white rice. Some of them have tiny stones others are clean.
Ofada rice is also called abakiliki rice; some are beautiful and robust, while others are not. The best is the one you see in this post.
Serve ofada rice and stew as you can see below. Traditionally, we use the Uma leaves, but you can use just plates as below.
Why Ofada Stew?
For a long time, I wondered about the widespread love for Ofada rice and stew. Perhaps it’s the iru (locust beans) that makes the difference, or maybe it’s the fact that it is crafted with just peppers.
Moreover, you won’t find the sour taste that often accompanies regular tomato stew. So, this is the winner 😀.
One lady, in particular, sent me this message: ‘Please teach me how to make Ofada sauce before this restaurant finishes my money’ 😀. Funny, right?”
Everyone love ofada sauce and I am guessing you will join the long list the moment you give it a try.
How I Precooked The meat.
Ofada Stew Recipe - How to make Yoruba Popular Ofada Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker optional (for cooking meat)
Ingredients
- Two tablespoons of ground crayfish
- 300 g Green Peppers
- 3 scotch bonnet peppers
- 300 g Tatashe or shombo peppers
- 2 cups of sliced onions
- Assorted meat – 800g
- 2 cups of palm oil
- 2 seasoning cubes
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- salt to taste.
Instructions
- Blend together the shombo pepper, scotch bonnet, and green pepper to form a smooth paste.
- Place a clean pot on the heat and pour in 2 cups of palm oil. Let it bleach or heat for only 2 minutes. Add the rest of the sliced onions, the more, the merrier.
- Stir and let it fry for a minute then add the ground pepper combination.
- Allow it to fry for the next 10-15 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid burning.
- After thoroughly frying the pepper-onions mixture, incorporate the pre-cooked assorted meat and its stock (meat water).
- Introduce two tablespoons of ground crayfish and salt to your preferred taste. Include the locust bean (iru), stir well, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the pot's bottom.
- Integrate the eggs, stir again, and let the stew simmer over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes.
7 Responses
Omg! Chy, you have saved me. Thanks for the ofada rice recipe. I have tried severally to achieve this with just tomatoes and onions. I don’t know green pepper should be in it. Is there anywhere to buy iru in cross river state? Pls reply.
Its nice. Ofada rice origin came from ijebu. And the peppers used there is unripe tomatoes, unripe rodo(bell pepper) and you can add unripe tatase too withe plenty onion.and add what we call iru(dadawa).All blended half way with your blenda at home. you can also mix your oil.70% ground nut oil to 30% palm oil.I assure you to get an awesome result.Not forgetting your diced assorted meats.
The ofafa sauce looks very healthy and my mouth is already watery,it’s a must have.thanks so much.?
Thanks for your detailed step to step on making this Ofada stew. I’m really going to try it out, my fear is that it will not be peppery as we (my kids & I) hardly take pepper. Thank you all the same.
Ofada rice didn’t originate from Ijebu.It originated from Ofada town in Ogun State Nigeria near Mowe-Ibafo.That is why the rice is named after the town.Meanwhile you can you any type of rice with the ayamase sauce.Basmati goes down well with it but on the whole to get the best taste the local Ofada rice is still the best.One thing I want to add is that you can fry your assorted meat…not too dry though.Welldone Chy.
Good morning and thank you for wonderful job you’re doing. I’ve enjoyed receiving your mails since I subscribed.
I want to add a comment regarding the ingredients.
You mentioned that the seeds in the pepper should be removed.
In my native Ogun state (the origin of Ofada stew),the seeds are not removed before grinding the pepper. In fact,it is ground with the local grinding stone (things have changed though)
Generally, yorubas don’t remove seeds from pepper before grinding. I don’t think it has any known side effects.
Continue the good work you’re doing.
God bless you.
Thanks for your input @ Idowu. You can ground both the pepper and seeds when are using just the yoruba pepper species. but then it would be very pepperish. The recipe here used the regular green pepper which helped in terminating souredness and ultimately guaranteed a delicious sauce. 😉