Ofada Rice and Ayamase Stew — known simply as ofada — is one of Nigeria’s most celebrated prestige dishes. This short-grain, unpolished local rice with its distinct earthy, nutty aroma is grown primarily in Ogun State, and the stew that crowns it is a fiery, smoky concoction made with bleached palm oil and a generous heap of green scotch bonnet peppers. It is the rice of occasions — you will find it wrapped in fragrant banana leaves at naming ceremonies, upscale weddings, and Nigerian restaurants from Lagos to London.
What makes Ofada so special is the complete experience: the stew, called Ayamase or Designer Stew, is built by bleaching palm oil until it loses its red colour entirely, then frying down blended green peppers, iru (fermented locust beans), assorted meats, and crayfish into a darkly beautiful, intensely flavoured pot. That combination of pungent iru, smoky bleached palm oil, and punchy green pepper heat is unlike anything else in West African cooking. It is bold, it is unapologetic, and it is utterly irresistible. Eaten with your hands off a banana leaf, it is pure joy.
Everything you need to bring this iconic dish home is available at Awuf Afro Store. From Delex Ofada Rice and our Ofada Mix (Ayamase) spice blend, to fresh scotch bonnet peppers, Banga palm oil, Delex Dried Iru, Assorted Meat, and Awuf Ground Crayfish — your full Ofada experience is just one delivery away.
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
| Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2½ cups (about 500g) | Ofada rice (washed thoroughly and parboiled) |
| 800g | Assorted meat (beef, ponmo, tripe) (cleaned and pre-seasoned) |
| 300g | Green scotch bonnet peppers (use unripe green ones for authentic Ayamase colour) |
| 2 large | Green bell peppers (tatashe) (blended together with the scotch bonnets) |
| 2 medium | White onions (one blended with peppers, one sliced for frying) |
| 200ml | Palm oil (for bleaching) (must be fully bleached until clear — see method) |
| 2 tbsp | Iru (fermented locust beans) |
| 2 tbsp | Ground crayfish |
| 3 tbsp | Ofada / Ayamase spice mix |
| 2 cubes | Maggi Star seasoning cubes |
| 1 piece (about 50g) | Dried catfish fillet (soaked and shredded, adds depth to the stock) |
| to taste | Salt |
| as needed | Water (for cooking rice and parboiling meat) |
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Method
- Cook the assorted meat. Place the Assorted Meat 1kg in a pot with 1 sliced onion, 1 Maggi Star cube, salt to taste, and 350ml water. Cook on medium heat for 30–40 minutes until tender. Add the soaked dried catfish fillet in the last 15 minutes. Remove the meat, shred the catfish, and reserve the stock. Set everything aside.
- Wash and parboil the Ofada rice. Rinse the Delex Ofada Rice thoroughly 3–4 times — the water will run brownish from the bran; keep rinsing until fairly clear. Parboil in unsalted fresh water for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water. This removes excess starch and tames the raw earthy aroma.
- Cook the Ofada rice fully. Return the drained rice to the pot with 600ml fresh water and 1 tsp salt. Cook on medium heat for 25–30 minutes until tender and the water is fully absorbed. The rice will have a distinctive nutty, slightly smoky aroma — that is the hallmark of real Ofada. Cover tightly and leave to steam off the heat for 5 minutes.
- Blend the peppers. Blend the green scotch bonnet peppers, green bell peppers (tatashe), and half an onion with 100ml water until smooth. Ayamase must be made with green unripe peppers for its characteristic dark colour and deep flavour — do not substitute red peppers.
- Bleach the palm oil. In a wide, dry pot, heat the 200ml Banga Palm Oil on high for 5–7 minutes until the oil turns clear and golden (bleached) and begins to smoke lightly. This is the most critical step — bleaching breaks down the red pigment and creates Ayamase’s signature deep flavour. Lower the heat immediately once bleached.
- Build the base. Add the remaining sliced onion to the bleached palm oil and fry for 3–4 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelise. Add the Delex Dried Iru (locust beans) and stir for 2 minutes — the aroma will be bold and pungent. This is correct. This is Ayamase.
- Fry down the green pepper. Pour the blended green pepper mix into the pot. Fry on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for 20–25 minutes until the pepper has reduced by half and the oil floats clearly to the top. The colour will deepen to a rich dark olive-green. Do not rush this step.
- Add the meat and season. Add the cooked assorted meat, shredded catfish, Awuf Ground Crayfish, Ofada Mix (Ayamase) spice blend, remaining Maggi Star cube, and 100ml of the reserved meat stock. Stir well and simmer on low heat for 10–12 minutes until deeply flavoured and the oil has fully risen to the surface.
- Rest and serve. Remove from heat and rest the stew for 5 minutes — it thickens and deepens as it sits. Plate the Ofada rice on a banana leaf or moi-moi leaf, then ladle the Ayamase stew generously over or alongside. Serve hot, preferably with your hands, for the full experience.
Tips & Variations
- Bleaching is non-negotiable. Do not skip or rush the palm oil bleaching step. Underbleached oil will make the stew taste raw and greasy. Fully bleached oil should be golden-clear and lightly smoking before you reduce the heat — be careful and keep the kitchen ventilated.
- Adjust the heat to your guests. Ayamase is traditionally very hot. For a milder result, reduce the green scotch bonnets to 150g and increase the green bell peppers to 3–4 large. For the full authentic experience, keep all 300g of scotch bonnets in.
- Serve on a leaf. The traditional way to serve Ofada Rice is on a hand-cut banana or moi-moi leaf — it adds a subtle grassy fragrance to the rice and makes the whole presentation special. Our Authentic Broad Moi Moi Leaves work beautifully as a serving base and are available in store.
