Nigerian Red Stew and Rice

Nigerian Red Stew and Rice

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: African

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 456kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Rich and savory Nigerian tomato stew layered with flavors

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Ingredients

6 Roma tomatoes
2 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers
1 bell pepper seeded
1 white onion
¼ cup water
oil of choice I use recommend palm oil or avocado oil
1 ½ pounds meat of your choice I used chicken drumsticks
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 maggi cubes crushed
curry powder to taste
white pepper to taste
4 cups cooked rice

Instructions

Cut tomatoes, peppers, and onion into chunks. Set aside ¼ onion and add remaining produce to a blender with about ¼ cup of water. Blend until liquefied then set aside.
Meanwhile, add enough oil to a large pot or skillet to coat the bottom of the pot over medium-high heat. Slice the remaining onion into thin strips and add it to pot, followed by chicken, black pepper, and sea salt. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken begins to brown and release juices.
Pour tomato mixture into pot, followed by tomato paste and sauce. Add crushed maggi cubes, curry powder, and white pepper and stir until incorporated.
Let stew cook, stirring regularly and reduce heat to medium if it begins to splatter too much. After 10 minutes or so, the tomato mixture should become bubbly, thickened, and darker in color. Continue stirring to release more of the liquid. The oil that cooked the chicken will cook the raw tomato taste out of the stew.
Next, taste test and salt the stew as necessary. The maggi has a lot of salt so you may not need to add much. Continue cooking until the stew reaches your desired consistency and some of the oil dissipates. If desired, spoon out any excess oil upon completion.
Serve with cooked rice or starch of your choosing.

Notes

How do I know when stew is done? Taste as you go. As you cook a pot of stew, the texture thickens and the flavor deepens as more water is released from the vegetables. Feel free to enlist taste testers, too. My Aunty Toyin and Aunty Faosat taught me how to cook this dish and could tell me what it needed with just a single bite!

How to store? I've been known to leave a pot of stew on the stove for a day or so but for the best results use an airtight container and store refrigerated. Stew will keep for about a week.

Can I freeze the stew? Absolutely! I recommend portioning it out into single servings before freezing so that you can just reheat what you need.

Nutrition