Ofada stew, or Aya Mase, is a signature dish of the Ijebu tribe in Nigeria. Even though the recipe originated in this tribe, it quickly became the favourite for millions of Nigerians. Ofada stew is delicious, packed with flavour, and very filling. Check out the classic ofada stew recipe!
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1. What you’ll need
Ofada stew is not a very complicated dish, but, like most beloved Nigerian recipes, it contains a medley of tasty ingredients that, together, create that irresistible ofada flavour. Here is the list of ingredients for making ofada stew.
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- Assorted meat – 700g
- Boiled eggs – 3 (optional)
- Onions – 3
- Garlic – to taste
- Bell peppers – 5
- Scotch bonnet peppers – 2
- Ground crayfish – 2tbsp
- Dried fish – 2
- Palm oil – 1.5cups
- Iru (locust beans) – 3tbsp
- Stock cubes – 3
- Salt – to taste
2. How to make ofada stew
Now that you have all the ingredients for ofada stew waiting on your kitchen table, time to get to cooking! Follow these steps to prepare your very first pot of steaming ofada stew.
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- Peel and chop one onion and peel the garlic. Put them into a pot of water with salt and stock cubes. Leave the pot on the stove and wait for the water to boil.
- Wash and clean the assorted meats. Once the water starts boiling, add your meats and boil until they are cooked and soft. Take the meat out and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Peel and chop the second onion. Deseed and chop the bell peppers and scotch bonnet peppers. Put the vegetables on a tray and place the tray in the lower part of the oven. In the upper part of the oven, place the chopped meat on a rack. Cook the vegetables and the meat for 40 minutes.
- Take the cooked peppers and onion out of the oven and blitz them in a food processor or blender until the consistency is mostly smooth with occasional vegetable chunks.
- Peel and chop the last remaining onion. Add the palm oil to a pot and put it on low heat. Heat the oil for about 15 minutes or until it becomes somewhat bleached. Add the chopped onion and cook for another 15 minutes or so until the onion is caramelized but not burnt.
- Add the locust beans, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Then add the crayfish, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the pepper and onion mixture, slightly turn the heat up, and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add the grilled meat, dried fish, and boiled eggs (if you’re using them. Stir well and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Take the ofada stew off the heat. Serve with rice or any other of your favourite starches. Your ofada stew is done!
Read more: How To Cook Stew The Nigerian Way
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