Ofada rice

Ofada rice is a Nigerian dish of steamed, unpolished local rice served with a spicy, palm-oil-based green pepper sauce known as ayamase or designer stew.

What it really is

Ofada rice is a short-grain, unpolished rice variety grown in Ogun State in south-western Nigeria, around the town of Ofada. The grains are brown-tinged and have a stronger, nuttier flavour than polished white rice. The rice is cooked by steaming or boiling and served with ayamase, a sauce made from green bell peppers, scotch bonnet chillies and onions, cooked down in palm oil with locust beans (iru) and seasoning. Assorted meats or fish are often fried and added to the sauce.

The defining features of the dish are the unpolished rice and the green sauce. Ayamase is distinct from ordinary red stew, which is tomato-based, and its colour and heat come from the peppers and the palm oil rather than from tomato. Ofada rice is also distinct from the imported parboiled rice commonly eaten in Nigeria.

How it's served

• Served hot on a plate, with the green ayamase sauce spooned over the rice.
• Assorted fried meats, such as beef, tripe, or fish, are commonly added to the sauce or served on the side.
• Eaten with the hands or a spoon, often with fried plantain on the side.
• Usually a lunch or dinner dish in Nigerian homes and restaurants.

How to write it on the menu

• Write it as Ofada rice with ayamase sauce, and name the main ingredients: green bell pepper, scotch bonnet, and palm oil.
• State that the sauce contains palm oil and locust beans (iru) and that the dish may contain fish or shellfish if it is served with fish or prawns.
• Specify the protein added, for example beef, tripe, or fish, and whether the meat is fried or stewed.
• Note the heat level, as scotch bonnet makes the sauce spicy.