The infamous stew that has many names, but packs some serious fire! Depending on where you are from in Nigeria, you may call this stew Ayamase, designer stew, or ofada stew.

The belief is that ayamase originated from the town Ofada in the western part of Nigeria (Ogun state), where its cultivation first occurred. The general consensus is that this stew is packed with so much flavor and heat. It’s one of my favorite Nigerian recipes and I’m happy to share it with you! It’s best served with white rice and sweet plantain! Yum!!

Wach the Ayamase Video
for a Detailed Tutorial

Ayamase | Designer Stew | Ofada Stew | Obe Dudu

A very spicy peppered stew with many names that pairs perfectly well with rice and sweet plantain.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 2 hrs

Course Main Course, Soup, stew

Cuisine African

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

3 cups boiled assorted meat chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup beef or chicken stock
1 cup palm oil
6 green bell peppers
12 red habanero peppers
7 boiled eggs
1/2 onion, medium
6 whole shittake mushrooms makes about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup locust beans / iru
1/4 cup dried large crayfsh
3 tbsp small or ground crayfish
4 maggi cubes
salt to taste

Instructions

Boil the eggs to start so that they can be ready to add to the stew by the time you are done cooking. This is also a good time to cook your rice to complement your stew.
Rinse and blend the green bell peppers with the red habanero peppers using the Salsa or Coarse option on your blender. You want to make sure your mix is very coarse as this adds texture to your stew.
Using a strainer, blend the blended peppers and save the peppered water from the peppers. The color of the drained water should be a dark green color. Save this for later use.
In a dry pot, add the palm oil and cover it. Put the heat on low and let it heat slowly for 20 minutes. Do not lift the cover. This is the palm oil bleaching process. After 20 minutes on low, turn the heat off while leaving the cover on the pot. This will allow the steam to get re-absorbed into the oil for a smoky flavor.
Let the bleached oil cool without opening the lid.
Once the oil is cool, you can remove the cover and turn the heat back on to a medium heat.
Add in the chopped onions, large crayfish, shittake mushrooms, and locust beans. Mix often to prevent burning.
Add in the chopped assorted meat and allow it to fry in the oil mixture.
Pour the broth or stock into the pan and mix often.
Once the meat has stir-fried for 5-10 minutes, add the drained and blended peppers. Stir altogether to combine and reduce the heat to a low-medium setting.
Season the stew with your Maggi cubes, salt to taste, and add more broth/stock as needed to amplify the flavor.
To liquify your stew, add the saved peppered water that you got when you blended the peppers. Add enough to satisfy the thickness you desire for the stew. Mix and combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Cover and let simmer for a good 10 minutes until the peppers have reduced and are cooked fully. Mix often to prevent the bottom of your stew from burning.
Once the stew is ready, add in the boiled eggs and stir gently to cover and add color to the eggs.
Enjoy the delicious, spicy, and oh so rich flavors of your ayamase! Serve while hot with your prepared rice and how about some sweet plantains to go with it?!! Enjoy!