Ayamase (Ofada Green Pepper Stew) with Beef, Eggs and Brown Rice

Ingredients

• 500 g beef stewing steak, diced
• 4 green peppers
• 3 fresh green chillies
• 3 onions
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 beef stock cube
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300 g brown rice

Method

1. 1

   Put the beef in a pan with half an onion, chopped, the crumbled stock cube and 500ml water. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes until tender, then drain, keeping 150ml of the stock.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, rinse the brown rice (it stands in for Ofada rice) and simmer it in plenty of salted water for 25-30 minutes until tender, then drain. Boil the eggs for 9 minutes, cool in cold water and peel.

3. 3

   Deseed the green peppers and roughly chop with the green chillies and 2 onions. Pulse in a food processor to a coarse paste (not smooth), then boil in a dry pan for 8-10 minutes until most of the liquid has gone.

4. 4

   Ayamase is traditionally made with bleached palm oil, which means heating it until it smokes; vegetable oil gives the same green colour without the smoke. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the remaining onion, sliced, for 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Add the drained beef and fry for 5 minutes until browned at the edges, then add the pepper paste and the dried shrimp, ground to a powder. Fry for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the stew is thick and the oil separates.

6. 6

   Add the reserved stock and the whole eggs, simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt. Serve straight away with the rice, and cool any leftover rice quickly.