Ofada stew is a very popular delicacy originating from the Yoruba Tribe in western Nigeria. A delicious stew rich in assorted meats and with a super unique flavor.

According to what I’ve been told, this stew is the real deal from Ofada. I used to think my favorite green bell pepper stew, also known as ayamase stew or designer stew, was Ofada stew, but it appears that I was mistaken for a long time? I even thought it was also similar to the Buka stew.  Hmmm, it seems like we learn something new every day.

Difference Between the Buka Stew And Ofada Stew

Buka Stew has some tomatoes in the mix though the ratio of the red bell peppers to the tomatoes is usually higher. On the other hand, the Ofada Stew is made with Red peppers (red bell peppers, red chili peppers).

Difference Between the Ayamase Stew And Ofada Stew

The only difference between these two delightful delicacies is the choice of bell peppers used. The Ayamase stew is made with green peppers which include green bell peppers green chili peppers etc. The real Ofada stew is made with the red pepper varieties; Red bell peppers, red chili peppers.

Since the major difference is in the color of peppers used. My Ayamase stew recipe can easily be swapped to make this Ofada stew which is exactly what I did. Swapped the green peppers in that recipe for red bell peppers with a little added twist in the Ofada recipe pepper flakes. It worked like a charm and was de-li-cious of course ??

How To Make Ofada Stew

Ofada stew is easy to make. So don’t fret. If this is your first time making any of the Nigerian stews that require bleaching the palm oil, I suggest you read this post on Tips for Bleaching Red Palm Oil Like an Expert.

I always bleach my palm oil ahead of time because it saves me time. It ok if you don’t have some bleached palm oil. Simply follow the steps below to bleach your palm oil safely.

• Pour a good quality palm oil in a clean, dry pot (I prefer stainless steel)
• Cover pot, turn on heat to medium and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the palm oil becomes transparent and no longer red.
• Let oil cool completely before opening the pot. Use immediately or store for later.

To make ofada stew, you can take care of your bell peppers in any of the three ways I would be listing below.

1. Wash and blend peppers and use immediately by frying in the oil till all moisture is absorbed

2. Wash and blend peppers then cook it down till water content reduces before frying

3. Wash and roast peppers in the oven then Blend and use ( my preferred method.)

What Kind Of Meat Can I Use For Ofada Stew?

Ofada stew is usually made with a mix of meats. That’s what assorted meats mean. Beef, cow skin, honey comb tripe, cow feet etc. A mix of these meats would be perfect. You can also use just one type of meat if you prefer.

How To Make Vegan Ofada Stew

• Easy peasy. Swap out the meats for tofu or any other vegan meat substitute.

• Leave out the eggs.
• Swap out the meat stock for vegetable stock or water.

What To Eat With Ofada Stew

Ofada stew is typically served with ofada rice which is a short grain rice locally grown in Nigeria. Because it is unpolished it is healthier and richer in fiber than the regular parboiled rice. This rice is served along side this delicious ofada stew on a plate of leaves aka banana leaves.

Ofada stew can be enjoyed with any other rice of your choice and can also be served with boiled or fried yams, fried plantains or potatoes.

Tips To Get Your Ofada Stew Ready In Less Time

• I precook and fry the meats a day before or up to a week before and store in the refrigerator or freezer
• I freeze my meat stock.
• I always roast and blend OR blend and dehydrate my pepper mix and freeze ahead of time.
• I bleach the palm oil ahead as well
• The day before I make my stew, I thaw my frozen ingredients in the refrigerator overnight on on the counter. That way its ready for me when I want to cook.

Storage

This stew can stay frozen for up to 3 months. To store, let stew cool completely then transfer cooked stew into freezer friendly bowls and freeze. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight then warm up in the microwave or on the stovetop.

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Nkatenkwan is a hearty and satisfying Ghanaian stew which combines the richness of peanuts or groundnuts with palm oil, tomatoes, mixed chillies, onions, garlic, and meat or fish.

Super easy to make with minimal prep work.

What Is Nkatenkwan?

Nkatenkwan is one of Ghana’s most famous national dishes. It is a soup made from peanuts. Many people refer to it as peanut butter soup, peanut or groundnut soup.

There is a wide variety of peanut soups and stews across West Africa. This version is simply made by adding peanut sauce to an onion, tomato and pepper soup base. It is almost always served with omo tuo, but also goes very well with any kind of fufu.

Peanut butter soup in Ghana is credited as coming from the Hausa people, but it is enjoyed all over the country.

History Of Peanuts In West Africa

Peanuts are not indigenous to Africa yet are well travelled; originating from South America, spreading to Europe, Asia and Africa, then back to North America through African slaves in the 1700s.

Their introduction to Africa came via the Portuguese in the 16th century, as early as 1502; possibly to the Senegambia region of West Africa or the Angola and Congo regions of Central West Africa. Their use in culinary applications spread throughout the rest of the continent and are an important food today throughout West, East, South and Central Africa.

It is interesting to note that peanuts are not actually nuts but legumes closely related to peas and beans. Prior to the introduction of peanuts, Bambara beans, also referred to as Bambara nuts, were more prevalent on the continent.

It is highly possible that when peanuts were introduced to Africa, they replaced Bambara beans in most dishes, although it is not certain why this happened. Similar dishes which use peanuts can also be found where Bambara beans are the main ingredient.

Bambara beans are used to make kangu cake, similar to kuli-kuli. They are also boiled or roasted and salted then eaten as a snack, much like peanuts. Furthermore they are used to make a famous Igbo dish called okpa, which resembles moin moin.

Whatever the case, peanuts were introduced to Africa centuries ago, and were adopted into the most traditional of dishes. They are very much loved today and used as thickeners, spice or flavor (in the case of suya) and a simple snack.

Their acceptance and adoption into African cuisine is remarkable, even though they are not the original goober in Africa.

How To Make Nkatenkwan

To make the nkatentwan, the first step is to make a soup or broth by adding whole onions, tomatoes and peppers to a pot of meat such as chicken, goat or beef. These ingredients are topped off with water and stock cube or seasoning and allowed to simmer.

While this is happening, a peanut sauce is made in various ways. Some people opt to fry peanut butter in a saucepan with a little tomato puree, like a roux, prior to adding water to create a thick but runny peanut sauce.

Others simply mix the peanut butter with water until smooth prior to heating until peanut oil separates and rises to the surface of the sauce.

From the broth, the whole vegetables are removed and processed before reintroducing them to the pot. The peanut sauce is then poured into the pot and soup is allowed to simmer until ready.

Like many other Ghanaian dishes, there are no hard and fast rules to making nkatenkwan. Some people opt to fry the onions and tomatoes as they would in a stew prior to following the steps to introduce the peanut sauce.

They would then finish off by adding enough water to create a soup consistency. The thickness of the soup is down to the preference of the cook and using less water will result is a peanut stew.

Notes / Variations

• Replace 1 pound chicken breast or thigh, cut into pieces or beef stew. Adjust the cooking time and add more soups as needed.
• Replace okra with green beans, kale, or cabbage.
• Replace peanut butter with other nuts

Different Variations Of Peanut Soups

In West Africa alone we have a variety of peanut soups and stews.

• Senegal is famous for a peanut stew called mafé (or maafe), and it has a thicker consistency than peanut soup. Maafe is thought to originate from the Bambara and Mandinka people of Mali.
• Gambia has a peanut stew called domoda.
• Across to East Africa, binyebwa in Uganda is a ground nut sauce made from ground peanut powder.

What To Serve With Nkatenkwan

It is traditionally eaten with fufu but it can also be eaten by itself or with rice.

Enjoy!

Superkanja is an okra stew that packs a nutritional and flavorful punch with its combination of leafy greens, such as spinach, collards, okra and sweet potato leaves. Combined with onions, chilli peppers and fish or meat, variations of this dish are found all over West Africa, such as the Ghanaian kontomire.

Where Does Superkanja Comes From?

Gambia! Known as Gambia’s super soup, this tasty bowl of deliciousness is found in various countries. Its name comes from the Portuguese word for soup (sopa), and a West African word for okra (kanja), which gives the dish its distinct texture.

Superkanja is also called supa kanja, supakanja and kanjadaa.

Is Superkanja Healthy?

Yes, it is! Packed with the nutrients of various leafy greens, meat and vegetables, this is heartiness in a bowl.

Okra’s are low in saturated fat, sodium and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of protein, riboflavin, niacin phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and copper. Okra is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C & K, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, magnesium, and manganese

What To Serve With Gambian Okra Stew (Superkanja)

It is normally served on Saturday at lunchtime and you can eat it with;

• Rice
• Fufu

Whether you want to eat it as soup or serve it with rice as a stew, this dish is super!

Enjoy this Gambian superkanja recipe, it’s a comforting recipe packed with flavor. Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you made this great dish!

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Eddoes Soup takes the root vegetable and sautés them with local seasonings to create a deliciously creamy and savory soup dish.

What Is Eddoe?

Eddoes (Colocasia esculenta), also known as taro, dasheen or cocoyam, is a starchy edible root vegetable that belongs to the Araceae family.  It has tiny hairs all over. Its taste is similar to that of the potato, but with a nutty flavor. It is grown in exotic nations around the world.  They can be boiled, roasted, fried or added to homemade breads and puddings. Eddoe is commonly called the potato of the tropics!

In Guyana, the eddoe root is usually added to soup. The leaves of the eddoe plant is cooked with coconut milk with meat of your choice and eaten with either dhal and rice or just the plain rice and also sada roti.

What Does Eddoe Taste Like?

Eddoe have a light crumbly texture with a slightly sweet flavor, somewhat like a potato. Like a potato, eddoes can be roasted, fried or boiled.

Origin Of Eddoe

Eddoes seems to have originated in India and spread eastwards to Burma and China and southwards to Indonesia. Afterward, it was taken to Japan, Hawaii, Melanesia and Polynesia; in historical times, it spread to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, thereafter to Africa, to the Guinea coast and to the Caribbean (Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados) etc.

It has been vigorously grown throughout tropical and subtropical regions. Today, it is grown throughout the West Indies and in West and North Africa. In Asia, it is widely planted in south and central China and is grown to a lesser extent in India. It is now a staple food in many islands of the Pacific including Papua New Guinea.

Is Eddoe Soup Healthy?

Yes eddoe soup is healthy! Eddoe root contains a wealth of organic compounds, minerals, and vitamins that can benefit our overall health in a number of ways. It has a very significant amount of dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as high levels of vitamin A, C, E, vitamin B6, and folate, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database.

There is magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, potassium, manganese, and copper in it. The plant also provides some protein in your diet.

Check out the step-by-step printable recipe below. Enjoy!