Name: Ofada Stew (Ayamase)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 6 medium green bell peppers, roughly chopped; 4 unripe (green) scotch bonnet peppers; 3 green tatase peppers (large mild green peppers), roughly chopped; 1 medium onion, half blended with pepper, half sliced; 250ml (1 cup) bleached palm oil (heated to light yellow, not red); 2 tbsp iru (fermented locust beans), washed; 300g (10oz) assorted offal/tripe, boiled and sliced; 200g (7oz) ponmo (cow skin), boiled and sliced; 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled; 2 tbsp ground crayfish; 2 stock cubes; 1 tsp salt

A bold, smoky green pepper stew made entirely from unripe peppers, locust beans, and assorted offal — the iconic accompaniment to ofada rice, and one of the most complex stews in Nigerian cuisine.

The Cultural Story

Ayamase is the Yoruba word for a style of cooking indigenous to the Ogun State town of Abeokuta, where the stew that now bears both names originated. The defining characteristic — the one that separates it from every other Nigerian stew — is that it is made entirely from green unripe peppers, not the ripe red ones that go into most Nigerian cooking. The unripe tatase (scotch bonnet) and green bell pepper are blended raw, then fried in palm oil until the oil turns deep brown, almost smoking. This dark-frying step is controversial and essential: it drives off the excess moisture, deepens the color to near-black, and creates a concentrated, slightly smoky, almost caramelized pepper base. Into this dark green-black base goes a quantity of locust beans (iru) — fermented and slightly pungent, the Nigerian equivalent of doenjang or miso — that gives Ayamase its funky, umami depth. Then come the assorted meats: ponmo (cow skin), boiled eggs, assorted offal. The smell in the kitchen while Ayamase is cooking is intense, pungent, borderline alarming to the uninitiated. The finished product is deeply savory, slightly bitter, earthy, and extraordinarily complex. It pairs with Ofada rice — a short-grain, unpolished local rice with a slight fermented aroma — and is always served in a leaf wrapper at any serious Lagos eatery that features it. Ofada Stew has undergone a remarkable reputational arc. Once considered a local food, associated with roadside joints and palm-wine bars, it is now served in fine dining restaurants across Lagos, Abuja, and in Nigerian diaspora restaurants in London, Houston, and Toronto. The Ofada rice and Ayamase combination has become a marker of Nigerian culinary pride — the argument for why Nigerian food is at least as complex and sophisticated as any cuisine in the world.

Ingredients

6 medium green bell peppers, roughly chopped
4 unripe (green) scotch bonnet peppers
3 green tatase peppers (large mild green peppers), roughly chopped
1 medium onion, half blended with pepper, half sliced
250ml (1 cup) bleached palm oil (heated to light yellow, not red)
2 tbsp iru (fermented locust beans), washed
300g (10oz) assorted offal/tripe, boiled and sliced
200g (7oz) ponmo (cow skin), boiled and sliced
4 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
2 tbsp ground crayfish
2 stock cubes
1 tsp salt

Instructions

1Blend the green peppers (bell pepper, scotch bonnet, tatase) and half the onion together. The blended mixture will be a bright green liquid.
2Bleach the palm oil: heat palm oil in a large pot over high heat with the lid on for 5–8 minutes until it loses its red color and turns clear/light yellow. This step removes bitterness. Allow to cool briefly.
3Heat the bleached oil over medium heat. Add the remaining sliced onion and iru (locust beans). Fry 3 minutes until fragrant.
4Add the blended green pepper mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for 20–25 minutes. The pepper will change color from green to dark olive-green or near-black as moisture evaporates and the sugars caramelize. This is the most important step — do not rush it.
5Add ground crayfish, stock cubes, and salt. Stir well.
6Add the cooked offal, ponmo, and hard-boiled eggs. Stir to coat everything in the dark green stew.
7Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The oil will float to the surface — this indicates the stew is properly cooked.
8Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with Ofada rice or any short-grain local rice, wrapped in banana leaf if available.

Ofada Stew (Ayamase)

The Cultural Story

Ingredients

Instructions

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