How to Prepare Tasty Ofada Rice with Sauce
How to Prepare Tasty Ofada Rice with Sauce
Ofada rice is a popular Nigerian menu that has an exceptional flavour and rich in nutrients with its cultural roots. Brown rice is whole-grain, an unpolished type of soup with a chewy texture and contain the mild nutty flavor. A Nigerian native rice, and the fact that it is not highly processed means it still contains most of its nutrients. The soft rich cassava texture works so well with the lively spicy sauce that normally goes together.
Here, we will discuss how to cook Ofada rice and the sauce that goes with it — from picking your ingredients right down to serving this dish in true Nigerian style. This series of recipes was designed for pragmatic at-home cooks and require a certain level of comfort in the kitchen, but even if you’ve never turned doorknob on an oven before, this is all still totally doable.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Why Ofada Rice?
- Ofada Rice and Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- Method of Preparation
- PERFECT OFADA RICE TIPS
- Conclusion on how to prepare tasty ofada rice
Why Ofada Rice?
Unlike other rice types, the Health benefits of Ofada rice. Because brown rice has a bran layer, which contains fiber and most of the nutrients in each grain; it existed to be more nutritious compared with polished white rice. It is also GMO-free and considered to be a clean, healthy food. Brown in color the grain is short and can be slightly sticky after cooking. It has a bold taste and an earthy smell that makes it the perfect match for heavy, hot sauces like the pungent ‘pepper sauce’ from awake made with its extract.
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Ofada Rice and Sauce Recipe Ingredients
Ingredients for Ofada rice and sauce
For the Rice:
• Ofada rice: 200g (the native, unpolished variety)
For the Sauce:
10 red chili peppers (ata rodo-half ripe)
-1 oz locust beans (“iru” – this gives it a very potent taste)
• 2 ½ cooking spoons (¾ cups) of red palm oil, unrefined
• 400 g assorted meats (offals/beef, tripe/ cow skin/liver)
7 tomatoes — (helpadillo, these are going to help balance the heart of your pepper)
1 large onion (used in sauce and pepper mixture)
1 clove Garlic (for deph of flavor)
– 1 thumb of ginger (optional but it brings a warm spiciness)
1 oz Shrimp (optional, but it gives you dimension in the sauce)
• 1/2 cup ground crayfish (for umami)
8 snails-optional, these make it more like the original dish
Seasoning Cubes of choice (Maggi or other)get=”{!!
• Salt (to taste)
Thyme and Curry powder (to season the sauce)
Brown stock (optional, this can be used to moisten and add depth of flavor the sauce)
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Method of Preparation
Stage 1: Preparation of Ofada Rice
1. Step 2 Clean the rice Ofada rice is often full of stones and chaff, so you must clean it very well. Try to wash the rice a few times in cold water, until it runs clear. Note: if you like, use a sieve to strain out any pebbles or small rocks.
2. Cook the rice: Fill a small pot with water and add clean, then add enough black mussels to cover. Turn the heat to medium and cook them, stirring often. Ofada rice takes longer to cook than white or polished rice, so you may have to add more water during the cooking process in order for it not be too hard after being cooked. Take out the cooked rice and drain any extra water from it, keep aside.
Note: Some people choose to parboil Ofada rice prior to cooking it as this will reduce its natural starchiness but for me, I like boldness just the way cooked. ParboilingThe Ashanti wayIf you love a fluffy skip this the french pass or just par boil your rice add water and steam for 45 minutues.
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Part 2 Preparing the Pepper Mixture
1. Add peppers and tomatoes to a food processor: Red chilies, tomatoes, onions, half of the garlic ginger pulp, and then blend them with some water in your blender or For process A]init With Frame Blend the ingredients Blend until smooth. Or, if you really feel like going the old-school way, try a mortar and pestle to grind it.
TIP: For a thicker sauce- pulse it vs processing until liquified.
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Step 3: Frying the Palm Oil
1. To bleach the palm oil: In a large pot, heat up the palmoil over medium heat. Be sure to keep it from getting too hot where the oil will smoke like crazy. Let the oil become a bit lighter in color (but not burn). Two recipes from my own kitchen☺: using this technique of scramming eggs and frying, I made APCO (African pear ) + oil-bean seeds burrow on GARI X AKARA pearls- bleached palm flavoured eba toped with afang soup Jollof rice… im broke😂;;;called for serious gut cleansing lol.. use these method To cook the following dishes Preparation Bleaching pap!
NB: Palm oil to be bleached and plume of smoke from the kitchen. You can also place a lid over the pot to reduce smoking.
2. Sauté the onions: When your oil is ready, add in rest of chopped (almonds) and sauté them all until they become translucent and are quite fragrant. This will barely take 3 minutes.
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Step 4: Cooking the Sauce
1. In large pot with the Palm Oil and Onions add in poured Pepper/Tomato Blend. Mix and cook the sauce for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Sauce should reduce by about 1/3rd and thicken a bit.
2. Add the bitter leaves to the sauce, add palm oil and stir.Continue boiling thereafter; Add locust beans (iru) into a pot−add iru in any food direction of your choice. The locust beans give the sauce a dark, rich flavor which is indicative of Nigerian traditional cooking.
3. The meats and seafood: Add cooked assorted meat, shrimp, snails and ground crayfish to the sauce Mix all and let it cook for another 520 mins. The sauce will begin to thicken too as the flavors of meat and seafood combine with the peppers.
4. Finally season the sauce: Add seasoning cubes, any suitable amount of salt ( I used 1 teaspoon ), thyme and curry powder to taste If the sauce is too thick, you may wish to add a little water or beef stock. Taste the sauce and season as necessary.
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Step 5: Simmer and Finish!
Once the sauce is at your desired thickness, reduce to low heat and let simmer for a further few minutes. The flavors will marry over that time.
Quick Tip: If you have a taste for spicy sauces, you can add more chili peppers or scotch bonnet peppers (“ata rodo”) at this stage. Please take note that Ofada sauce tends to be too spicy so adjust the level of heat as required.
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Serving Suggestions
Ofada rice is commonly served in Moi leaves (Thaumatococcus daniellii) which imparts a unique aroma and elevates its presentation. Alternatively, you can simply serve the rice on a plate if Moi Moi leaves are not available. To keep it as real, scoop some rice on a plate and pour sauce over the top.
Extra proteins and vegetables can be added to the dish such as fried plantains, boiled egg or side of steam veggies.
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PERFECT OFADA RICE TIPS
1. Native Ofada rice & sauce — Balancing the flavors: One of the most important things in making a really delicious Ofada rice and sauce meal is to make sure that you balance out spiciness from chili peppers with umami goodness from locust beans (iru) and crayfish. Don’t be scared to taste the sauce as it cook and seasonned it after.
2. Fresh peppers, fresh tomatoes and locust beans give the sauce a bright taste. Either way, utilize the freshest possible snails and shrimp or all shapes of fryer meats for best flavor/body.
3. Cook slowly: Allow the sauce to cook on a low heat for around 40 minutes. This will help all of the flavors to meld together and make it a hearty, delicious sauce.
4. The traditional way: To serve authentic Moi moi preferably use the original leaves as a wrap or dish, it helps to make it more flavorful and presentable. If the leaves are not there you can use a banana leaf to wrap it or else just serve in plate.
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Ofada Rice and Sauce Nutritional Benefits
Moimoi ofada rice is a variety that high in nutrients because it is not polished and same as Dami Moni Ofada. It is a good source of dietary fiber which helps in digestion and maintains blood sugar level. It is also a good source of vitamins and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, B vitamins. The sauce itself is perfect for adding a good source of protein, antioxidants and other nutrients like iron (from the clams) and potassium.
Too, with meats, lamb meat for examples and seafood — shrimp; crayfish (Canadian lobster) or crabs instead of fatty sausages bacon etc you add more protein value to the dish so it will be tasty as well wholesome. Also, the locust beans give a unique taste and contains probiotic properties to aid in your healthy gut.
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Conclusion
Aside from the fact that preparing Ofada rice with sauce is simply more than just cooking, it offers a way for them to delve into Nigerian culture one step at a time. The play of the earthy balanced rice against this spicy indulgent sauce is simply divine. Whether you are making for a festive feast, or simply wanting to try your hand at something new, this is one recipe that will leave you with great satisfaction.
So, by simply following the steps in this guide you would be able to prepare a delectable pot of Ofada rice and sauce that is filled with flavorful components allowing its contents to boast the authenticity such as Nigerian taste.
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