How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (2024)

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (1)

Ofada sauce is a spicy pepper sauce prepared with green bell peppers, chillies, palm oil, locust beans (Iru) and assorted meat; Ofada stew/sauce which is also known as ayamase or designer stew got its name from a specific rice it is usually served with (ofada rice). Ofada rice is a popular rice grown here in Nigeria; it is named after a town Ofada in Ogun State,

ofada stew is very spicy and filled with lots of meat likeBuka stew recipe, and it is specifically calledAyamase stewby the Yoruba people, this delicious dish is great for lunch or dinner and it is traditionally served in an uma leaf or on a large green banana leaves. This sauce is one of the sweetest sauces I haveever come across, it is rich and flavourful. Apart from serving ofada stew with ofada rice, fried plantain or yam can be used in its place.

Locust bean is key ingredient in ofada stew as, it adds lots of nutty flavour to the sauce. One good thing about ofada stew is that you can make use of different types of peppers especially thegreen bell peppers (tatashe)to make these this sauce, and you can as well use only red bell peppers to make the red version of ofada sauce, but this depends on what you want. Ofada stew/sauce or ayamase is usually served with local or brown rice, but you can choose to pair this with the regular basmati rice if you are where you cant get ofada rice.

Important tips for making Ofada stew/ sauce

  • When preparing Ofada stew, you need to be very careful while bleaching the palm oil as it can easily catch fire (palm oil is highly flammable when heated).
  • Make sure you bleach the oil on a low heat with the lid covered and it shouldn’tsit more than 5 minutes. You will also need to open the doors and window of your house to allow ventilation while on this process.
  • Once the oil is bleached to your liking, put off the heat and wait for the oil to cool down first before you open the lid to add the needed ingredients.
  • Once the oil is cool, place it back on heat and add your ingredient to fry. This is just a simple way to make this sauce with the bleached palm oil. But if you don’t want to take the risk of bleaching palm oil on open fire, please just heat the oil until hot then fry the rest of your ingredients, it will still turn out fine. After all, there are different ways of making a particular dish, however, you can simply combine cup of palm oil with cup of vegetable oil making it one whole cup for this sauce, and it will still taste fine.
  • Ofada stew is usually prepared with green peppers, but I decided to include few red bell peppers to mine. It’s a matter of preference.
  • Before you blend the peppers, take a little time to remove some of the seeds first to avoid too hot and spicy afada sauce especially if are the type that can’t cope with spicy and hush food.
  • Iru or locust beans are important ingredients in ofada sauce (ayamase), make sure you add it to this sauce for that unique flavour.
  • You can choose not to add crayfish to this sauce if you want, but if you must do, add just a little quantity because it’ssupposed to be mild and not intense, so that it won’t overpower the taste of other ingredients. Boiled eggs are optional; you can still prepare ofada stew without them.
  • Additionally, ofada rice (unpolished) rice has this strong aroma (pungent smell) when it is been cooked, soak it in hot water and rinse properly before cooking.

Ofada stew/sauce ingredients

  1. (5 large green bell peppers(green Tatashe)
  2. 4 large red bell peppers (optional)
  3. 2 medium redonions, thinly chop
  4. 3 Scotch bonnetpeppers(Ata Rodo)
  5. 1 kilo of assorted meat (goat meat, beef shaki and Ponmo
  6. boiledeggs, as desired optional
  7. 3 Tablespoons locust beans(Iru)
  8. 1 cupspalm oil
  9. 1 tablespoon of ground crayfish
  10. 1 cup ofstockfishor dried/smoked fish
  11. 3 seasoning cubes(maggi)
  12. Saltto taste

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (2)
Ingredients for making afada stew

Steps on how to make afada stew

  1. Season the assorted meat with onions, pepper, maggi, and salt and cook until tender.
  2. Combine all the peppers, onions and blend, but it shouldnt be so smooth.
  3. Place the pepper mix in a pot a cook until the liquid dries and the mixture thickens.
  4. Add palm oil into a pot, cover the lid and place on heat to bleach on a low heat for 5 minutes.
  5. After 5 minutes, put off heat and let the oil cool completely before you open the pot.
  6. Bring the pot back on a medium heat, add onions and locust beans and fry until translucent.
  7. Add the pepper mix and stir-fry continuously for 10 minutes or until you notice patches of oil at the top. Season the sauce with some seasoning cubes, 1 tablespoon of ground crayfish, stir, and then cover to cook gently for 5 minutes more.
  8. Bring the cooked meat into the sauce and stir-fry this should take about 10 minutes.
  9. If the sauce appears too thick, add about cup of the meat broth and stir to combine, if you have a very rich broth, you wont need much of the stock cubes so that your sauce dont turn out salty at the end just one will be enough.
  10. Add the boiled eggs stir and taste for salt and adjust, then put of heat ofada stew is well cooked.
  11. Serve ofada stew/sauce with boiled ofada rice or regular white rice and enjoy your meal.

Simple steps on how to prepare ofada sauce with pictures

1. Season the assorted meat with onions, pepper, maggi, and salt and cook until tender.

2. Combine all the peppers, onions and blend, but it shouldnt be so smooth. I like mine with chunky consistency.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (3)
Blended pepper for making ofada stew

3. Place the pepper mix in a pot a cook until the liquid dries and the mixture thickens, to save time, you can just strain out the liquid using a colander.

4. Add palm oil into a pot, cover the lid and place on heat to bleach on a low heat for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, put off heat and let the oil cool completely before you open the pot. The palm oil must not turn black, once it is clear thats fine.

5. Bring the pot back on a medium heat, add some chopped onions and locust beans and fry until translucent with sweet flavour.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (4)
Bleached palm oil- once the oil is light, you can put off heat and wait for it to cool first

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (5)
Frying of Onions and Iru (locust beans in bleached oil

6. Bring the pepper mix into the oil and stir-fry until you notice patches of oil at the top, this should take about 10- 15 minutes. Season the sauce with some seasoning cubes, 1 tablespoon of ground crayfish, stir, and then cover to cook gently for 5 minutes more.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (6)
The pepper mixture should be allowed to fry a little bit longer for at least 10 minutes

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (7)
Once the pepper is properly fried you will notice traces of oil on top, you can now season it with one tablespoon of crayfish and seasoning cube

7. Add diced meat and stir-fry continuously for 10 minutes or until almost golden.

8. If the sauce appears too thick, add about cup of the meat broth and stir to combine, if you have a very rich broth, you wont need much of the stock cubes so that your sauce dont turn out salty at the end just one will be enough.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (8)
Assorted meat can now be added to the sauce

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (9)
After the meat, stir properly and leave the stew to cook for a while to infuse delicious flavour

9. Add the boiled eggs stir and taste for salt and adjust, then put of heat; ofada stew is well cooked.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (10)
Ofada stew is ready once all the ingredients are combined

10. Serve ofada stew/sauce with boiled ofada rice or regular white rice and enjoy your meal.

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (11)
Rich and spicy ofada stew/sauce recipe

How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (12)
Serving of Ofada rice and stew together

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How to Make Ofada Stew/Sauce - Ayamase (Designer Stew) Recipe - Jotscroll (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Ayamase and Ofada stew? ›

Difference between Ayamase and Ofada Sauce

The main thing that sets them apart is the amount of scotch bonnet peppers used. Both stews have green and red bell peppers, but Ayamase has more scotch bonnet peppers, making it super hot. So, if you like spicy food, you'll love Ayamase.

What is ofada sauce made of? ›

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.

What is designer stew made of? ›

If you don't know what Ayamase is, it's a dish made with unripe habaneros (atarodo), locust beans (iru) onions lots of meat parts, eggs and palm oil. This stew goes perfectly well with Ofada rice/parboiled or jasmine rice and plantains.

Why is my Ofada stew bitter? ›

Two things can make ofada stew bitter: 1-The type of pepper used can alter the taste of the ofada stew. Some red peppers can taste bitter when blended with the seeds. 2-The pepper mix got burnt.

What is the difference between ofada sauce and ayamase sauce? ›

Ofada Sauce can be made with red or green peppers, however, went it is made with green peppers that's when it is called Ayamase Sauce.

What are the benefits of Ofada stew? ›

Good for heart and weight loss management. Whole grains like Ofada rice contain heart- and weight-friendly micronutrients (e.g., magnesium) and fiber. Besides promoting feelings of fullness, fiber reduces the volume of “bad” cholesterol and lowers blood pressure, improving overall heart health and weight management.

Why is it called Ayamase? ›

About the name 'aya-mase', a story told by her children is that her husband earned the nickname 'Mase' – translated from Yoruba as don't do it – when he was involved in a “heated exchange.” Onlookers urged him not to hit his opponent, “mase!” It stuck. His wife became Aya Mase—wife of Mase.

What is the origin of Ayamase sauce? ›

Ayamase sauce, also known as Designer Stew or Ofada stew, is a spicy Nigerian sauce that originated from the Yoruba people in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Its origin can be traced to a town called Ikenne-Remo, located in Ogun State.

What is ofada rice called in English? ›

What is ofada rice called in English ? Ofada rice is called local rice or Nigerian brown rice.

How long to bleach oil for Ayamase? ›

Put the oil over medium heat and leave it to bleach for 10-12 minutes. LEAVE THE LID ON.

How do you pronounce Ayamase? ›

Ayamase (pronounced 'ha-yah-ma-shay') is a blended mixture of green peppers and chillies fried in palm oil and 'iru&#039. It also comes with small chunks of beef, cow foot and tripe. This is traditionally served with ofada rice but can also be enjoyed with any other rice dish.

How to make Ayamase less bitter? ›

If your Ayamase comes out bitter that might be due to your pepper selection. Ypu see, there are some types of green pepper that are naturally bitter and will make your Ayamase bitter (the very dark green peppers) when choosing green peppers, go for the lighter green colour.

How do you reduce bitterness in stew? ›

Spices mask bitter flavors, so don't be shy. Add some spicy peppers or powders to your cooking, or sprinkle some onto your dishes for a little bit of extra heat. Black pepper in particular has compounds that counteract bitterness. Some other great spices include cayenne, red pepper, paprika, and chili powder.

How many calories are in Ofada stew? ›

Energy: 195 calories
Protein6.7g
Carbs14.1g
Fat12.1g

What is another name for ofada rice? ›

Ofada Rice is the name loosely used for locally cultivated unpolished rice. In some part of Nigeria it is called Abakaliki rice.

What does Ayamase mean in English? ›

Ayamase, also known as ofada sauce, is a stew made with palm oil similar to ofada stew except it is made from green ball peppers which give the soup a unique taste.

What is the difference between brown rice and ofada rice? ›

Ofada rice is Nigerian brown rice, however, there's brown rice produced outside Nigeria. The brown rice produced outside Nigeria is quite different from ofada rice as it still carries alot of husk so it is very chewy while ofada rice has been dehusked and brown stripes are usually seen on the grains.

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