Ofada Recipe

Ofada gets it name from the locally produced rice which is a special delicacy of the Western part of Nigeria.

It is usually served with Ofada Rice. The sauce itself is called Ayamase, the pairing is however so perfect that when people talk about Ofada Rice they are automatically associating it with the Ayamase.



Ingredients;

• 4 large green bell peppers (finely chopped)
• 2 large red ball peppers (finely chopped)
• 10 pieces of unripe habanero peppers (finely chopped)
• 1 big red onion (finely chopped)
• 1kg of assorted meat (Goat meat, Shaki, Ponmon, Beef, Stock fish)
• 2 cups of palm oil (or more)
• 2 stock cubes (maggi)
• 1 teasopoon of salt
• 1 locust been (a.k.a. iru, ogiri, okpei or dawadawa)
• 1/2 cup of crayfish
• 3 cups of ofada rice

Procedure:

To prepare the ofada rice;

• Wash the rice with cold water, transfer to a cooking pot and parboil for 10 minutes
• Drain the water using a sieve and wash again thoroughly preferable in running water
• Put the pot back of fire and add water just enough to cook the rice till its done
• Add a pinch of salt, then pour in the parboiled rice when the water begins to boil.

To prepare the ofada stew:

• Wash and blend all the peppers and onions
• Blend the crayfish and locust bean using a dry meal , or you could preferably pound them if you have a mortar 
• Wash all the assorted meat properly and cook them until they are properly done, add the stock cubes to the meat
• In a separate pot, pour in the blended pepper and cook until all the water dries up (this should take about 20 minutes on medium to high heat)
• Place a clean dry pan on medium heat, pour in the palm oil and allow to blanch for about 15 minutes (the time may vary depending on your cooker and amount of oil. It will definitely get smokey, so have a fan around or make sure the kitchen is well ventilated, better still  you can do this outside in the open)
• Allow it to cool down for about 5 minutes, thereafter add in the cooked pepper puree, and fry very well until the water is dried out (stirring always)
• Add in the blended crayfish and locust bean together with the cooked meat and give it a good stir
• Add salt, stir and leave to simmer for another 2 minutes, and it's ready to be served
• Serve with the ofada rice, to get the real effect and delight, line the plate with  either uma leaves or banana leaves
  

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