Ofada Stew Recipe

Ofada stew is the Yoruba stew served with ofada rice, and it is regularly confused with ayamase, including, as the source cheerfully admits, by people who have been eating both for years. The distinction is real and it is about the pepper. Ayamase, the green bell pepper stew also called designer stew, is built on green peppers and comes out dark olive. Ofada stew proper uses red peppers and tomatoes and is red. Both use bleached palm oil, both carry assorted meat and iru, and both are served with the same rice, which is exactly why the confusion is so widespread. Buka stew is a third relative in the same family, which does not help matters. The rice is the fixed point. Ofada is a local unpolished short-grain rice with an earthy, slightly fermented aroma that people either love or find odd. Its strong flavour is what these stews are built to stand up against, a delicate sauce would disappear next to it. Assorted meats are the other constant: beef, shaki, ponmo, offal, and locust bean for depth. It is traditionally served wrapped in leaves.