At a glance
Fast way: About 20 minutes with Esther's Ready Stew
Slow way: About 1.5 hours from scratch
Ready stew: Esther's 16 oz · $10.99 (spicy or mild)
Chicago: Pick up at 1651 E 87th St or ship in about 2 business days
Recipes · Yado Market Guide
Nigerian stew (red stew, tomato stew or obe ata) is the sauce behind Sunday rice, jollof, yam and plantain. Here are two ways to make it: the fast way in about 20 minutes with a ready-made stew base, and the slow way from fresh peppers and tomatoes, the way your mum fries it. Plus how to fix sour or watery stew and how to store a big batch.
Quick answer: what is Nigerian stew?
A thick tomato-and-pepper sauce: blended red bell peppers (tatashe), tomatoes, scotch bonnet (ata rodo) and onions, fried in oil until the raw taste is gone, then cooked with chicken, beef, goat, fish or eggs. It is widely served with white rice1.
The basics
What Is Nigerian Stew?
Nigerian stew is a cooked sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions. Nigerian cuisine serves white rice 'with a thick tomato and pepper-based stew'1, and the same red base goes into jollof rice, fried rice, beans and yam porridge. Every family has its own version, but the method is always the same: blend, reduce, fry, season, simmer.
Red stew / obe ata
The everyday stew: tatashe, tomatoes, ata rodo, onion, vegetable oil, with chicken or beef.
Buka stew / ata dindin
The roadside 'buka' style with goat, beef or chicken, cooked mainly with tomatoes, onions and pepper1. Usually more pepper, often fried in palm oil. Darker and spicier.
Ayamase (designer stew)
Green peppers and palm oil with iru. See our Ofada Rice & Ayamase recipe.
Fish or egg stew
The same red base with fried fish, mackerel or boiled eggs.
Fast way · about 20 minutes
Quick Nigerian Stew with a Ready-Made Base
A ready-made stew base is already blended, reduced and fried, so the longest part of the job is done. One 16 oz jar feeds about 4 people with rice.
- Season 1.5 lb chicken pieces or beef with salt, 1 seasoning cube, 1/2 tsp curry powder and 1/2 tsp thyme. Boil until cooked through (chicken to 165°F5), then fry or bake it for color if you like.
- In a pot, warm 2 tbsp oil and fry 1 sliced onion for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 jar (16 oz) Esther's Ready Stew and 1/2 cup of the meat stock. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Add the meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper or an extra cube.
- Serve with white rice, fried plantain, yam or boiled eggs.
Slow way · about 1.5 hours
How to Make Nigerian Stew from Scratch
Ingredients (about 8 servings)
- 5-6 red bell peppers (tatashe), seeds out
- 5 ripe plum tomatoes
- 2-3 scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo)
- 2 onions (1 blended, 1 sliced)
- 1 small tin (70 g) tomato paste
- 1/2-3/4 cup vegetable oil (or part palm oil)
- 2-3 lb chicken, beef or goat
- 2 seasoning cubes + 1 tsp stew seasoning powder
- 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
Steps
- Cook the meat. Season with sliced onion, 1 cube, curry, thyme, salt. Boil until tender. Keep the stock. Fry or grill the meat for color (optional).
- Blend. Blend tatashe, tomatoes, scotch bonnet and 1 onion with as little water as possible.
- Reduce. Boil the blend in an open pot for 20-30 minutes, stirring, until it's thick and most of the water has gone. This is the secret to a stew that isn't watery or sour.
- Fry the paste. Heat the oil, fry the sliced onion 2 minutes, add the tomato paste and fry 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly.
- Fry the stew. Add the reduced pepper base and bay leaves. Fry on medium-low for 20-30 minutes, stirring often, until the oil floats on top and the sour smell is gone.
- Finish. Add 1-2 cups of meat stock, the second cube, stew seasoning and the meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt.
Frying the tomatoes in oil does more than build flavor: lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes, is absorbed better when tomatoes are cooked and eaten with fat4.
Shop the shelf
What You Need for Nigerian Stew
Everything here is in stock for pickup at 1651 E 87th St, Chicago, or ships across the U.S. Fresh tomatoes and peppers come from any grocery; the pantry part is below.
Also handy: Lion dried thyme ($1.99), Spicity stew & jollof seasoning ($4.99) and, for a fish twist, ground crayfish. New to cubes? Read What Are Maggi Cubes?
Troubleshooting
How to Fix Sour, Watery or Bland Stew
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sour taste | Tomatoes not fried long enough | Keep frying on low until the oil floats; fry the tomato paste first. A pinch of sugar helps if it's still sharp. |
| Watery stew | Blend not reduced | Boil the blend down before frying, and add stock a little at a time. |
| Bland | Not enough salt or seasoning | Add a cube or stew seasoning, then salt in small pinches. |
| Too hot | Too many scotch bonnets | Add more blended tatashe or tomato and simmer; serve with plain rice. |
| Burnt bottom | Heat too high while frying | Use medium-low and stir; don't scrape the burnt layer into the stew. |
Serve & store
What to Serve with Nigerian Stew & How to Store It
White rice
The classic: rice and stew with fried plantain (dodo).
Jollof base
Use the stew as the base for Nigerian jollof rice.
Ofada rice
Local unpolished rice, best with ayamase. Recipe here.
Yam, plantain, beans
Boiled yam, fried plantain or beans with a spoon of stew on top.
Storage: Nigerian stew is perfect for batch cooking. Cool it quickly, keep it in covered containers in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze in meal-size portions for 3-4 months for best quality2. Freeze stew without boiled eggs; add fresh eggs when you reheat. Reheat until steaming hot.
Shop ofada rice · $24.99Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Nigerian stew and jollof base?
They start the same: blended peppers, tomatoes and onions fried in oil. Stew is finished with meat and stock and served on rice; for jollof, you cook the rice inside a tomato and scotch bonnet base3.
Why is my Nigerian stew sour?
The tomatoes weren't fried long enough. Fry the tomato paste first, then fry the stew on low until the oil rises to the top and the sharp smell is gone.
How do I make Nigerian stew less watery?
Boil the blended peppers in an open pot for 20-30 minutes before frying, and add stock a little at a time.
Can I make Nigerian stew with palm oil?
Yes. Buka-style stew and ata dindin are often fried in palm oil, which gives a deeper color and taste. Many cooks use half palm oil and half vegetable oil.
Is there a ready-made Nigerian stew?
Yes. Esther's Ready Stew (spicy or mild) is already cooked; heat it with your meat and it's ready in about 20 minutes.
How long does Nigerian stew last in the fridge?
3-4 days in the fridge, or 3-4 months in the freezer for best quality2.
Where can I buy Nigerian stew ingredients in Chicago?
At Yado Market, 1651 E 87th St, Chicago: ready stew, tomato paste, cubes, curry, thyme and ofada rice are in stock for pickup, and we ship across the U.S.
Keep cooking
Related Guides
Sources
Stew Night, Sorted
Esther's Ready Stew for busy nights, or everything for the slow way. Pick up in Chicago or get it shipped.