Our recipe for this week is how to make ofada rice and ayamase stew.
Ofada rice is the short, robust and brown rice planted in Ogun state, South-West Nigeria and some other states in Western Nigeria. It is identified with brown stripes because it is unpolished. When cooked, it emits the unique ofada rice aroma that is often the first attraction.
For health-conscious individuals, ofada rice is one of the preferred choices. Ofada rice is better eaten with a sauce. The most delicious sauce for the Ofada rice is known as Ayamase (also known as designer stew). The brown unpolished rice is very healthy and loaded with a lot of nutrients.
Ofada Rice
Ingredient:
2 Cups of Ofada rice
Water
Salt to taste
Direction
Pick the stones and dirt from the Ofada rice. Do this carefully as Ofada rice is known to be dirty and full of stones.
Pour the rice into a bowl, wash repeatedly, till the water is clear.
Add 4 cups of water to a clean pot; add the rice once the water is boiled. Allow to cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes.
Take the rice off the heat and rinse out the starch till water runs clean.
Add 1 cup of water and cook till soft. You’ll need to check on it every now and then to prevent burning or sogginess. When it’s soft, take it off the heat and if you end up with liquid after the rice is fully cooked, drain in a colander.
There is no ofada rice without the sauce. What makes it outstanding is the sauce popularly known as ‘ayamase.’ It’s such a hit at parties and gatherings; you’d love it at the first try. It isn’t only delicious; it is also easy to prepare.
The unique difference from the other known ways of making the sauce is that while other stew are made with red pepper, the Ayamase is made with green pepper.
How To Prepare The Designer Ayamase Stew
Ingredients :
Palm oil
Green bell pepper – (green tatashe)
Scotch bonnet/habanero pepper – (Ata rodo)
Iru – fermented locust beans
Assorted meats (you can also use chicken or Turkey) – cooked and cut in small pieces
Beef Stock
Seasoning Cube
1 large onion ( chopped)
1 cooking spoon of ground crayfish
Salt to taste
Boiled Egg (optional)
Method
- Blend the Green Pepper with the ‘ata rodo’ and boil till it becomes thick. Remember not to blend the onions with the pepper.
- While the pepper is boiling, cover the pot and bleach the palm oil for 8-10mins. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered till the body is warm.
- Once the pot has cooled, put it back on the heat and add chopped onions. Let it fry till it softens, and then add the iru and let both fry until a bubble of palm oil comes up.
- Add the meats stir and let it fry till the oil comes up.
- Add the boiled pepper and stir. Let it fry until oil floats to the top, then you add stock, roughly 1 cup, stir and let it fry until you start to see oil on top.
- Add ground crayfish (a cooking spoon)
- Stir and let the crayfish cook and combine with the stew. Reduce the heat and let the stew fry till the oil comes back up again. At this point, you can add boiled eggs/dry fish/cooked ponmo if you wish. Once the oil comes up, taste again for salt and seasoning.
