Ayamase (Ofada Stew)

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• 4 green finger chillies
• 3 scotch bonnet peppers
• 2 large onions
• 300ml red palm oil
• 3 tbsp iru (fermented locust beans)
• 3 tbsp ground dried crayfish
• 700g beef chuck, cut into 3cm chunks
• 300g cow tripe (shaki)
• 150g smoked fish, flaked
• 6 eggs
• 2 stock cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 500ml water

Before you cook

• Halve and deseed the green bell peppers.
• Quarter one onion and dice the other.
• Cut the beef into 3cm chunks and slice the tripe into strips.
• Rinse the iru under cold water.
• Flake the smoked fish, picking out any bones.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 220C.
2. Spread the halved green peppers, finger chillies, scotch bonnets and quartered onion over a baking tray.
3. Roast them for 25 minutes, until the skins blister and blacken in patches.
4. Tip the roasted peppers into a blender and pulse to a coarse, grainy paste, never a smooth one.
5. Put the beef and tripe in a pot with the diced onion, one stock cube and half a teaspoon of the salt.
6. Add 500ml of water, bring it to the boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the tripe is tender.
7. Lift the meat out and set aside 400ml of the stock.
8. Lower the eggs into a small pan of boiling water and cook them for 9 minutes.
9. Drain the eggs, cool them under cold running water and peel them.
10. Pour the palm oil into a dry pot, open a window, and heat it over medium heat for 8 minutes until it turns clear and pale amber.
11. Take the pot off the heat and let the oil cool for 5 minutes.
12. Return the pot to medium heat and fry the diced onion for 3 minutes.
13. Stir in the iru and two thirds of the crayfish and cook for 2 minutes.
14. Add the roasted pepper paste and fry it for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the oil floats clear on top.
15. Pour in the reserved stock and add the meat, the flaked fish, the second stock cube and the remaining crayfish.
16. Simmer the stew for 15 minutes so it thickens and the flavours settle.
17. Slide the peeled eggs in and warm them through for 3 minutes.
18. Taste for salt and serve with ofada rice.