OBE ATA IS CASUALLY SERVED OVER RICE, BUT IT CAN BE THE STAR OF MANY DISHES.

29/08/24

When I make this sauce, I don’t trade out the hot peppers for milder versions. I do add twice as many tomatoes to take away a little heat. Seeds make peppers hotter.

Ingredients:

4 Red bell peppers seeded and chopped, stems removed (zero hot on Scoville heat scale. Bell peppers do not have much capsaicin).

2 Fresno chile peppers seeded and diced, stems removed (Fresnos are equal in heat to mild Jalapeños. If you are going for flavor without much heat, try Jalapeños or Anaheim peppers here).

2 Habanero peppers seeded and diced, stems removed (These are hot, 500,000 Scoville units, lots of capsaicin. If your going lower on the scale, try Pablano peppers or Ancho Chilies here).

4 1/2 Tablespoons Red palm oil for color and flavor

4 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Using no Palm oil is inauthentic. Using all Palm oil with no other neutral oil to cut it makes the sauce way too heavy.

6 cloves chopped garlic

6 tomatoes cut into 4 pieces each

1 diced red onion

Salt

1 inch chopped ginger

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

2 cups vegetable broth divided

Directions:

1. Coat all vegetables very lightly in palm oil, then in salt. First, red peppers, then, the rest of the vegetables. Pour remaining oils into large cooking pot. I use a gallon plastic bag to hold veggies, some oil, and enough salt for coating.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place coated peppers and vegetables on lined baking sheets. Discard plastic bag.

4. Roast coated peppers and vegetables for about 40 minutes.

5. Carefully remove pans from oven.

6. Place one pan of vegetables in blender.

7. Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Blend until mixture has very small lumps.

8. Pour contents of blender into large cooking pot with leftover oils.

9. Repeat steps 6 – 8 with second pan of vegetables and 1 cup vegetable broth.

10. Add ginger and curry powder to sauce. Stir well.

11. Cover the cook pot. Turn burner to medium until sauce begins to bubble around the edge. Stir. Turn burner down to low. Simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring often, until sauce reduces and thickens. This time is necessary. It gives all the flavors a chance to blend well.

Serve over rice, as a dip, with vegetables, beans, boiled eggs, or use as a stew base.

Store in an airtight container for 5-6 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Never add milk or any type of sugar. Nigerians did not eat sugar until the Portuguese introduced it to their diets in the 15th century. If Nigerians drink milk, it’s likely powdered. They do not have electricity providers for refrigeration. Nonpowdered milk is imported and expensive. A person can tell where the cook is from by the wonderful flavors in the pot, as the food is from the land and tells the history of its people.