How to cook Ayamase (Designer and Ofada) Stew

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Hello Guys!

I have been wanting to share this recipe with you all for some time now but been busy cooking up a storm for my clients but was able to steal some time off and I’m so glad I can now share. I hope you enjoy watching the video of how to cook it as well as making it yourself.

Ayamase also known as Ofada and Designer stew is a popular dish amongst the Ijebu Yoruba tribe from Southwest Nigeria. It’s made with green Paprika peppers and the green hot Scotch bonnet peppers.  Ayamase can be served with white rice or Ewa/Beans and rice.

For this video I used 15 Scotch Bonnet peppers; however you can reduce the amount or increase as you please. If you just want to use 5 scotch bonnet peppers, then increase your paprika peppers accordingly.

 

Enjoy the video! 🙂

 

 

Ingredients

  • 15 Scotch Bonnet
  • 4 Large green paprika peppers
  • 2 Large white onions
  • 4 Cloves of garlic
  • 2tbs of Iru/Locust beans
  • 200ml Vegetable oil
  • 100ml Palm oil
  • 1tsp Salt
  • 2-4 Maggi cubes

 

Meats (Precook them in water and salt separately)

  • 150g Cow foot
  • 150g Beef or Oxtail
  • 150g Shaki/Tripe
  • 150g Smoked Turkey
  • 150g Stock Fish/Dried fish

Preparation time 10-15 minutes. Cooking time 20-25 minutes

 

  1. Wash the peppers and peel the onions and Garlic
  2. Blend the peppers, onions and garlic in a Food Processor or Food Blender
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a Pot and once hot add the Palm oil
  4. Add the salt and Maggi cubes
  5. Add the Stock fish, cover pot and cook for about 5 minutes to soften
  6. Add the meats and stir them into the stew
  7. Add Iru/Locust beans
  8. Cover pot and cook for a further 10 minutes
  9. Serve with white rice or Ewa/Beans and rice.

Tips and Suggestions

  •  On a day you are not too busy, buy your meats and precook them with absolutely no seasoning except salt.  You can add onions to the beef or onion powder.
  •  You also need to precook the Stock fish for at least 30 minutes
  • Allow them to cool down and portion them into small freezer bags and freeze until you need them.
  • This reduces your preparation time when cooking stews or soups because all you have to do is blend your mixture and just take out the required amount of precooked meat out of the freezer.
  • You can also do the same with the Stock fish which you can also freeze.
  • Cray fish can also be used in Ayamase but this is optional
  • You can use any meats you want for Ayamase if you do not like the assorted meats suggested.