Jollof Rice & Ayamase Style Beef Stew

I’ve been meaning to try this Jollof Rice recipe for a long time now but only now getting around to actually doing it and with emancipation around the corner its the perfect time to get acquainted with some African cuisine. While doing research for the recipe I also came across Ayamase stew which is a popular Nigerian dish. Although the traditional recipe calls for specific spices and the addition of boiled eggs, I thought I would do my spin on it, also leaving out the eggs because i’m not a huge fan.

The traditional jollof rice recipe calls for red bell peppers but those are a bit hard to find locally and are typically a bit on the pricey side. So i’m using red pimentos instead. Other than that I’m trying to stick to as close to the traditional recipe as possible.

Jollof Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups of rice, washed
• 5 tomatoes
• 6 red pimentos
• 1 red cayenne pepper or scotch bonnet pepper
• 2 purple onions
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cups water

Method

1. Add tomatoes, pimentos, cayenne pepper and one purple onion to a food processor and blend until smooth paste is formed
2. In a bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, dried thyme,  smoked paprika and ginger powder
3. Add oil to a pot on medium heat
4. Saute chopped onion for 3 minutes or until translucent
5. Add tomato paste and bay leaves, saute for 5 to 10 minutes making sure to stir intermittently
6. Add paste and two table spoons of seasoning blend as well as salt to the pot. Combine well then cover and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes
7. Add rice to the pot and stir to combine with other ingredients
8. Add water making sure that the rice is barely covered.
9. Reduce heat to lowest, cover and allow rice to cook.
10. Stir rice every 10 minutes
11. After 30 minutes, remove rice from fire and allow to continue steaming for 10 minutes
12. Serve and enjoy

Ayamase Styled Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs of beef chunks
• 1 green sweet pepper
• 1 scotch green scotch bonnet pepper or green cayenne pepper
• 1 bundle of celery, chopped
• 1 bundle of chives, chopped
• 3 medium sized onions
• 1 head of garlic
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp clove powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp chili powder

Method

1. Combine clove powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, chili powder and salt to form a dry rub
2. Season beef with dry rub then set aside
3. To a pressure cooker and two tablespoons of oil then add beef and fry for 5 minutes
4. Add one chopped onion and whole garlic cloves to the pot then allow to cook for 3 minutes
5. Add 8 cups of water to the pot, cover and allow to cook in the pressure cooker for approx 1 hour and 20 minutes
6. Add sweet pepper, onion, scotch bonnet pepper, celery and half of the chives to a food processor then blend until smooth
7. Once beef is cooked, remove pieces from the remaining broth in the pot
8. Add two tablespoons of oil to a pan then saute sliced onion on medium heat
9. Add beef to the pot and saute for 3 minutes
10. Add seasoning puree to the pot and allow to cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated
11. Deglaze with remaining broth from pressure cooker and allow to cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened
12. Finish with fresh chives and thyme
13. Serve & Enjoy