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Ofe Achara (Elephant Grass Stew)

Ofe Achara (Elephant Grass Stew) is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic stew of meat and fish in an elephant grass (achara) and pumpkin seed base thickened with ground beans. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Elephant Grass Stew (Ofe Achara).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

120 minutes

Total Time:

140 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Chilli RecipesBean RecipesNigeria Recipes



Ofe Achara (Elephant Grass Stew) a Classic Nigerian recipe for a stew of meat and fish in an elephant grass (achara) and pumpkin seed base thickened with ground beans.

Ingredients:

2 generous bunches of tender achara (elephant grass) leaves — if you do not have access to achara, substitute lemongrass
100g (1 cup) ground egusi (ground melon seeds)
1 bunch okazi leaves
300g (2/3 lb) meat, cubed (any mix of goat, sheep or beef meats and offal)
1 stockfish, soaked over night and broken into pieces (see the how to prepare saltfish/stockfish for making your own)
1 smoked and dried fish, washed well and broken into pieces
2 onions, chopped
4 tbsp achi (this is a thickener made from the ground beans of the leguminous tree, Brachystegia eurycoma, substitute gram (chickpea) flour or any ground beans)
4 Ata Rodo (red Scotch bonnet) chillies, pounded to a paste (these are hot, adjust to taste)
150ml red palm oil
4 tbsp ground crayfish (dried and ground prawns)
2 Maggi cubes
salt, to taste

Method:

Cut the stockfish into chunks and place in a pot. Season with a little salt (the stockfish itself is salted), add 500ml (2 cups) water then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the fish has begun to soften.

Take the achara and remove the woody outer leaves. Take the tender cores and break into pieces.

Place the meat in a bowl, crumble over the Maggi cubes, add the onions and season with salt. Toss to combine, then turn into a clean pot. Allow the meat to simmer in its own juices for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture is almost dry. At this point add 500ml water to the meat, bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Add 500ml more water to the pot along with the boiled stockfish (and its liquid). Stir in the dried fish and half the ground egusi. Bring back to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more. Now stir in the red palm oil, chillies, ground crayfish and the elephant grass pieces. Stir to combine and bring the mixture back to a simmer.

In the meantime, mix the achi (or ground beans) with a little water to form a smooth paste. Stir this past into the soup and cook for about 5 minutes. Now mix the remaining egusi with water and stir this into the soup as well.

Adjust the seasoning to taste, turn into a bowl and serve hot accompanied by pounded yam (iyan), fufu or eba.