Nigerian Ayamase

How to make Nigerian Ayamase

1. Preparing the meat (this can be done the day before): Place the meat, beef stock cubes, onion, salt and water in a large saucepan or pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until soft but not falling apart. Depending on the cut of meat you choose and the size of your pieces, this can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours.

2. Heat your oven or air fryer to 230℃/ fan 210℃. Strain the stock into a bowl and discard the onion.

3. Transfer the meat to a roasting tin and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned on the outside. Set aside for later.

4. Bleaching the palm oil is perhaps the most critical step in making ayamase but it can be dangerous if not done carefully. You can skip this step by simply buying bleached palm oil, which is available in most African shops or supermarkets, generally right next to the regular palm oil. However, if you’d prefer to make it yourself, here’s how to do it safely. To save time, you can do this while your meat is boiling.

5. Ensure your kitchen is well-ventilated: open all the windows and turn on your extractor fan.

6. Choose the right pot: use a light-coloured, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid (with minimal or no steam holes). Avoid non-stick pots, as the high heat can damage the coating. I like using a Dutch oven or large, heavy-duty stainless-steel pot.

7. Add the oil to the pot and cover with the tight-fitting lid. Place the covered pot over a medium heat and cook for 12 minutes. Do not open the lid at any point! If you do, at best, your kitchen will fill up with acrid smoke that will cause severe coughing or choking; at worst, you could accidentally start a fire.

8. Once the timer hits 12 minutes, turn the heat off and leave the pot closed. Let it cool completely before opening the pot. The cooling process can take anywhere from 30 minutes or 1 hour. Once cooled, the palm oil should have turned a brandy-like colour. It’s now ready to use in your ayamase.

9. Making the ayamase stew base: Place the green bell peppers in a food processor and blitz until coarsely chopped. To ensure you don’t over-blitz them, I recommend doing this in batches. Transfer to a large sieve to drain.

10. Add the scotch bonnets and onions to the same food processor (no need to clean it in between) and blitz until coarsely chopped. Transfer to the sieve to drain with the peppers. Firmly press down on the vegetables to extract as much water as possible.

11. Alternatively, the blended mixture can be cooked in a pot set over a medium-high heat until most of the water has evaporated. Set aside for later.

12. Making the ayamase - finally! Return the Dutch oven/large stainless-steel pot to the stove over a medium heat to reheat the bleached palm oil.

13. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, then add the locust beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

14. Add the drained blended pepper mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, then add the stock cube and salt, stir to combine.

15. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low, then cook, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn’t catch, for 30 minutes.

16. Add the browned meat from earlier, as well as the stock and boiled eggs (if using). Bring the stew to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat back to medium-low and simmer covered for a final 15 minutes.

17. In the meantime, you can cook your Tilda fragrant jasmine rice according to the package instructions.

18. Serve with the ayamase and enjoy.