Nigeria | Stew

Ayamase

Name: Ayamase
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Nigeria, West Africa
Ingredients: 5 whole green bell peppers, roughly chopped; 6 whole green scotch bonnet peppers, use less for mild heat; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 cup red palm oil; 2 tbsp iru locust beans, rinsed; 900 g assorted cooked meat, beef, tripe, ponmo, or goat; 6 whole boiled eggs; 1 tbsp ground crayfish; salt, to taste

Yoruba green pepper stew cooked with bleached palm oil, iru, assorted meats, and boiled eggs, usually served with Ofada rice.

Country

Nigeria

Region

West Africa

Time

115 min

Serves

Level

hard

Start cooking Explore Nigeria recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 bowls

Stew

Pepper blend

5 whole green bell peppers, roughly chopped 6 whole green scotch bonnet peppers, use less for mild heat 1 large onion, chopped

Stew

1 cup red palm oil 2 tbsp iru locust beans, rinsed

Protein

900 g assorted cooked meat, beef, tripe, ponmo, or goat 6 whole boiled eggs

Seasoning

1 tbsp ground crayfish (optional)

Pantry

salt, to taste

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Blender

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Nigeria

4 steps 35 min prep 80 min cook (check method) 115 min total hard

Blend and reduce

Blend green peppers and onion coarsely, then boil down until thick and most water evaporates.

reduce peppers 25:00

Bleach palm oil safely

Heat palm oil in a covered pot over medium heat until darker and smoky, then turn off heat and let it cool before opening.

Kitchen noteVentilate the kitchen and never open the hot smoky pot toward your face.

bleach oil 15:00

Fry the stew

Add iru to the oil, then the reduced pepper blend. Fry until the oil begins to separate.

fry sauce 20:00

Add meat and eggs

Add assorted meats, crayfish if using, and salt. Simmer, then add eggs and coat well.

finish stew 15:00

Some cooks use more green bell pepper, some more green scotch bonnet, and the meat mix depends on the table.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for parties, Sunday lunch, and serious rice plates.. Plan on a hard cook. Allow about 115 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Ofada rice, boiled eggs, fried plantain, or plain white rice.

Regional lane

South-West and Yoruba table. Amala, ewedu, gbegiri, pepper stews, leafy soups, beans, and market foods from the Yoruba cooking orbit.

Chef watch-outs

Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.

How you know it is ready

The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Pantry lane

palm oil, crayfish, iru or ogiri, scotch bonnet, melon seed

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Ayamase recipe from Nigeria — Ayamase finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Ayamase

Ofada rice, boiled eggs, fried plantain, or plain white rice.

Best route from here

South-West and Yoruba table

Collections to keep cooking

Nigerian Regional Table

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