Food  

Easy Ayamashe/Ofada Sauce Recipe

By Omolola Ajadi

01 April 2023   |   9:00 am

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Ayamase sauce, also known as Ofada sauce or designer stew is a popular sauce in the western part of Nigeria, amongst the Yorubas. Aside from being one of the easiest sauces to make, Ayamashe or Ofada sauce is quite delicious with a very distinct and unique taste, because of the bleached palm oil used in…

Ofada rice has been elevated to a thing of status and cultural pride, especially given the nature of its preparation and the unique sauce that is used in serving it.<br />Credit: Omolola Ajadi.

Ayamase sauce, also known as Ofada sauce or designer stew is a popular sauce in the western part of Nigeria, amongst the Yorubas.

Aside from being one of the easiest sauces to make, Ayamashe or Ofada sauce is quite delicious with a very distinct and unique taste, because of the bleached palm oil used in preparing it.

To prepare your Ofada sauce, below all the ingredients needed – afterwards, you can see the step by step guide on how to make the best Ayamashe sauce at home.

Ingredients:

• Bleached Palm Oil
• Green Bell peppers & Scotch Bonnet (Ata Rodo)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Blended Crayfish
• Locust Beans (Iru)
• Seasoning and Salt
• Mixed Protein (Turkeys, Pomo, Assorted Meat)
• Cow Hide (Pomo)
• Boiled Eggs

Prep Your Ingredients
Properly wash your proteins, Season, and then boil it, then set aside.

If you do not have already bleached palm oil, then you can make some in your kitchen. Simply measure your desired amount of palm oil in a clean dry pot, and then cover the pot and heat up for 25 – 30 mins on LOW heat, till the oil is no longer red. Precaution: Make sure your kitchen is well ventilated to avoid inhaling the smoke.

Switch off your stove, and allow the oil to cool down properly before you open your pot, to avoid fire accident.

Remove the stems from your pepper, wash with water, and then roughly blend your pepper with some onions with little water. You do not want to end up with a watery sauce.

Boil your eggs, remove the shells, and set aside.

Step-by-step procedure

In a dry pot, heat up your bleached palm oil, and then fry your proteins (Turkey, assorted meat, etc).

Using the same oil, sautee your onions, minced garlic, and locust beans for 1 min on medium heat.

When you’re sure the scent is causing trouble at your next door neighbour’s house, then it’s time to pour in your roughly blended pepper.

Add in half a portion of your blended crayfish, then season with some seasoning cubes and some salt to taste.

Don’t forget your boiled eggs. Toss in your eggs immediately after you season your sauce so that it can suck up all the deliciousness of the sauce.

Allow your sauce to fry for 10 mins, then add in your fried proteins and then the remaining portion of your crayfish. Stir, and allow to fry for another 10 mins.

Taste your sauce, and adjust your seasoning if needed.

When you notice that the oil is separated from the sauce, then your sauce is ready.

Serve with hot Ofada, regular or basmati rice wrapped in a leaf. If you want to be creative, you can try out the sauce with some boiled yams, plantains or potatoes. Enjoy!