Nigerian Red Stew with Punchy Aromatics and Saucy Chicken Braise

When Nigerian cooks want to impart long-cooked flavors in a short amount of time, they rely on obe ata. Similar to a Spanish or Italian sofrito, obe ata is a tomato-red pepper sauce that is often made in large batches and used as a base for soups, dips, or even eaten with fried fish.

Obe ata is typically enhanced with punchy flavors such as ginger, fresh chilies, and curry powder, and is most commonly used to make red stew. Red stew is one of Nigeria’s signature dishes, which consists of a saucy braise with various types of meats.

In this simplified version of red stew from our book “Cook What You Have,” we have reduced the meat to bone-in chicken parts, seasoned with curry powder, salt, and black pepper. We have also used canned tomatoes and jarred roasted red peppers for convenience.

The ingredients are pureed in a blender to create a quick sauce, and the chicken is browned before being set aside. The sauce is then simmered before the chicken is added back to the pot, allowing the flavors to concentrate. Sweet potatoes are also added to give the braise some substance.

If you prefer less heat, you can remove the seeds from the fresh chilies. But if you like it spicy, you can leave some or all of the seeds in.

You can find the full recipe for this Red Stew with Chicken here.

Start to finish: 1 hour 25 minutes (30 minutes active)

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon curry powder OR dried thyme OR 1 teaspoon each
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs OR drumsticks OR breasts (halved crosswise) OR a combination, trimmed
• 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
• 4 or 5 jalapeño OR Fresno chilies OR 2 habanero chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped OR 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the curry powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the chicken all over with the spice mix, rubbing it into the meat; set aside.
2. In a blender, combine the tomatoes with juices, roasted red peppers, chilies, and ginger. Puree until smooth, scraping the jar as needed, about 1 minute; set aside.
3. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pieces and cook until browned on the second sides, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a large plate and set aside.
4. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat; add the onion and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato-pepper puree; simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until a spatula leaves a trail when drawn through the mixture, 16 to 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the sweet potatoes (if using), then nestle in the chicken and pour in the accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring and turning the chicken occasionally, until a skewer inserted into the largest chicken piece meets no resistance and the sweet potatoes are tender (if used), 35 to 40 minutes. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Optional garnish: Chopped fresh cilantro or chopped scallions

Get more recipes and dinner ideas from Globeblognews’s food section here.