I would have called this my stew Ofada but there's a slight difference in the sense that ofada is prepared with green peppers, green bell peppers and green scotch bonnets but i prepared my with red peppers this is because i couldn't find green bell pepper more especially, so i decided to make do what I have, the reason i call it pepper stew.
Ofada stew is popularly known among the Yoruba people in the Southwestern part of Nigeria. It's a spicy sauce with a unique flavour and usually prepared in a bleached palm oil. Most people are not fan of bleached palm oil and don't like much pepper the reason why majority do not prefer it to the regular stew.
The first time i was introduced to this stew i can remember vividly that i wasn't alone, we were about three ladies. When we started cooking it by bleaching the oil, the older lady among us asked, "must the oil be bleached?" She got a disheartening answer which was YES then she said, "this, isn't for me if it so." The youngest ask, "are we making use of all the peppers?" Our coach gave another answer that wasn't good but true to the one who asked the question.
As for me, i love trying out new things. Neither the pepper nor the oil was my concern. All i wanted to see was the outcome and the taste it will give. Believe me, i wasn't disappointed with my high expectations. So i decided to try it out on another level, this time red peppers instead of green. Come with me let me show you my own recipe.
Making my peppered stew
Ingredients
- 60g of Iru (locust beans)
- 400g of Shombo pepper
- 70ml of palm oil
- 50g of onion
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 9 pieces of scotch bonnet
It's time to move to the steps to achieving our end result. Let's proceed.
Step one
Put my pot on fire to dry it up for seconds in case there's water inside, then pour my palm, cover for some minutes and allow it to bleach.
Step two
Pound my scotch bonnet, slice my and wash my iru (locust beans) thoroughly, i already have my shombo grinded. And go to my pot that's on fire and add salt.
Once I have added my salt, i know the next to follow is my onion
The next is the grinded shombo, don't forget to stir well for the shombo to dry up well and bring out its flavor.
Let's add the iru
Last i added is the scotch bonnet
It must be stirred well, if dried up you can a little water or leave it, it's just a matter of choice. I have a left over Rice and i didn't want make a regular stew sinc i have this my pepper ingredients at home. Plating my rice with etere and eating with hands was how i decided to enjoy it. My Yoruba friends in vegan please come and tell me if there's more i need to do. I want to learn this well.
