Recipe · Nigerian classics
Ofada Rice & Ayamase Stew Recipe
Nutty, aromatic ofada rice with ayamase, the fiery green "designer stew" of southwestern Nigeria, made with green peppers, palm oil, iru and assorted meat. Here's what ofada rice is and how to make the stew at home.
The quick answer
Ofada rice is an unpolished, short-grain local rice from Ofada in Ogun State, Nigeria, known for its nutty aroma and slightly chewy texture. It's traditionally served with ayamase, also called designer stew or ofada stew: a spicy green pepper sauce cooked in palm oil with iru (locust beans), assorted meats and boiled eggs, often wrapped in fragrant leaves.
What Is Ofada Rice?
Unlike polished white rice, ofada rice keeps some of its bran, which gives it a reddish-brown speckled look, a stronger aroma and more fiber. It's usually sold in smaller local batches, so it often needs a careful rinse and pick-through for small stones before cooking.
In Nigeria it's often served on or wrapped in large green leaves called ewe eran (uma leaves), which add a light fragrance. If you can't find ofada rice, a short-grain brown rice or brown basmati is the closest everyday swap.
Ayamase (designer stew)
Made with green bell peppers and green scotch bonnets, so it's green and fiery. The palm oil is traditionally heated until it turns pale for a deep, smoky flavor.
Ofada sauce
A close cousin made with red peppers, so it's red instead of green. Both use palm oil, iru and assorted meat.
Ingredients
For the rice
- 3 cups ofada rice (or short-grain brown rice)
- Water and a pinch of salt
For the ayamase stew
- 6 green bell peppers, seeded
- 4–6 green scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, to taste
- 2 medium onions (1 for blending, 1 sliced)
- 1 cup red palm oil
- 2 tbsp iru (locust beans)
- 2 tbsp ground crayfish
- 1½ lb assorted meat: beef, tripe (shaki), cow skin (ponmo)
- 4 boiled eggs, peeled
- 2 bouillon cubes and salt, to taste
Method
How to Make Ofada Rice & Ayamase
1
Wash and cook the rice. Pick out any stones, rinse well, parboil for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse. Cook in fresh salted water for 30–40 minutes until tender.
2
Cook the meat. Boil the assorted meat with onion, a bouillon cube and salt until tender. Keep the stock.
3
Blend the peppers. Coarsely blend the bell peppers, scotch bonnets and one onion. Keep it slightly chunky. Boil the mixture for 10–15 minutes to cook off excess water.
4
Heat the palm oil. Warm the palm oil in a heavy pot (see our safety tips below), then fry the sliced onion and iru for 2 minutes until fragrant.
5
Fry the pepper base. Add the pepper mixture and fry, stirring often, for 15–20 minutes until the oil rises to the top.
6
Finish and serve. Add the meat, crayfish, bouillon and a splash of stock. Simmer 10 minutes, add the boiled eggs, and adjust salt. Serve hot with ofada rice.
Tips
Tips & Palm Oil Safety
Bleaching palm oil, safely
Traditional ayamase uses palm oil heated until it turns pale. This makes heavy smoke and can catch fire. Only do it in a heavy pot with the lid on, over low to medium heat, with windows open or outdoors, and never leave it unattended. Keep a lid or baking soda nearby, and never pour water on an oil fire. You can skip bleaching and use regular palm oil for a milder, still-delicious stew.
- Blend the peppers coarsely. Ayamase should be chunky, not smooth.
- Boiling the pepper mix first removes water so it fries faster and doesn't splatter.
- Control the heat with the scotch bonnets. Start with fewer and add more.
- Leftover stew keeps 4–5 days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.
