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This is the heavenly sauce that is often used in eating Ofada rice. It is one of the spiciest foods in Nigeria. The major difference between this sauce and others is that while others use red pepper, green pepper is the primary pepper used in cooking Ayamase Stew. The green pepper and locust beans give this sauce its unique aroma.

Ingredients

Assorted meat (beef, kpomo, shaki)

Stock fish

Dry fish

Palm oil

Green bell peppers – (green tatashe)

Scotch bonnet/habanero pepper – (Ata rodo)

Iru – fermented locust beans

Assorted meats (you can also use chicken or Turkey) – cooked and cut in small pieces

Beef stock

Seasoning cubes

1 large onion (chopped)

1 cooking spoon of ground crayfish

Salt to taste

How to Cook

Rinse, spice and cook all meat and stock fish till tender. Rinse the dry fish in lukewarm water. Rinse and remove the seed from the green pepper. Blend the green peppers with the ata rodo. Do not blend the onions with the pepper. Pour the blended pepper into a pot and boil till the water dries up. Afterwards, use dry blender to blend the locust bean and crayfish.

Pour palm oil into another pot. Please note that the palm oil should be enough to fry your meat and make the stew. Bleach the palm oil for about ten to fifteen minutes. The oil will look like vegetable oil when you’re done bleaching. When the oil is bleached, pour in your meats and fry till slightly crisp. When you’re done frying, scoop out the meat and turn off the heat. Allow the oil to cool.

Once the oil is cool, put the pot back on fire. Add chopped onions and sauté. Add the boiled pepper puree and fry for about ten minutes. Make sure you stir from time to time to prevent burning. Then add the blended crayfish and locust beans; also add stock cubes and salt. Stir to combine.

Cover the pot and allow the content to fry till oil floats to the top. Monitor the stew to prevent burning. When the oil floats to the top, add the dry fish, stock fish, the orishirishi meat and the meat stock. Stir well to ensure that the meat and fish has fully blended with the stew. Taste the stew and adjust spices as necessary. Cook for about ten minutes then turn off the heat.

Enjoy Ayamase stew with boiled Ofada rice (unpolished rice) or you can eat it with yam or fried plantain.

Featured image source: Let’s get cooking

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This article was first published on 27th February 2019

udevi-obiamaka-angela

Udevi, Obiamaka Angela holds a Master of Arts degree in History & International Studies. She's a freelance writer with a passion for food and healthy living. She can be contacted through her email address, obiudevi@yahoo.com

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