Ofada Rice and Sauce — Print Recipe

Fragrant, unpolished local Nigerian rice served with a pungent, aromatic green pepper and locust bean sauce that delivers an explosion of umami.

Ingredients

1 Wash ofada rice thoroughly (it needs extra washing due to bran). Boil in salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.
2 Blend green peppers and scotch bonnet roughly — the sauce should be chunky, not smooth.
3 Bleach palm oil by heating until it smokes, then let it cool to warm.
4 Fry chopped onions in the bleached palm oil until caramelized. Add locust beans and fry 2 minutes.
5 Add blended green pepper mixture and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes until reduced.
6 Add cooked offal, crayfish, bouillon, and salt. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve sauce over rice wrapped in banana leaves.

Did You Know?

The distinct aroma of ofada sauce (ayamase) is so strong that Nigerians joke you can smell it from two streets away.