How to prepare tomato stew without stress

Nigerian tomato stew is one of the most popular Nigerian food recipes, it is easy to make and I would include this recipe on a list of “Nigerian simple to make foods”,

Reason for this would be that the ingredients needed could be found in almost every part of the world and almost anybody can put up this stew in less than fifty minutes.

Recently I also made a video on making Nigerian tomatoes stew, this video is detailed beyond expectation; you can find it at the bottom of this page.

I promised to take you through the guide on how to lose the sour taste of tomatoes easily. Most people end up with tomato stew that has soured taste, it is very conversant but we are going to learn how to eliminate that taste, at least the way I eliminate that taste. (This same method is expounded in the Nigerian Food eguide, page 11, 12 and 13)

Ingredients For Making Nigerian Tomato stew (like I always assert, these ingredients could be doubled or reduced depending on the number of people you are looking to feed and their stomach size).

Ingredients (6-8 Persons)

2kg Meat of choice (fresh chicken or beef)
Ground tomatoes – 1500ml
Ground Fresh Red Pepper – 50-100ml
1 cup of sliced onions
Teaspoon of ground nutmeg
teaspoon each of curry and thyme
teaspoon of delice or “onga stew”.
Vegetable (optional)
Vegetable/groundnut oil – 300ml
3 cubes of knorr or maggi
Crayfish – 2 spoons (optional)
Salt to taste.

Wash the tomatoes and blend alongside the fresh pepper, also blend the crayfish alongside the nutmeg seed (1).

Wash the meat (chicken goat meat, beef… etc.) and parboil with desirable ingredients (I like to use lots of ingredients while parboiling the meat and then use little or none while making the real foods, this practice is necessary if you want to end up with very tasty meats. Beside you can then use the meat stock [water from the meat] for the main cooking.

Below is how I serve tomato stew – with white rice and these parboiled carrot and green beans, it is more delicious and healthy this way.

So just add the washed meat in a pot, add a cup or two cups of water then two cubes of maggi, a teaspoon of kitchen glory, onions and a teaspoon of salt. Be sure that at least half of the meat is completely submerged in water.

Cook until the meat is soft enough for consumption

Most times I chose to fry the tomatoes in a frying pan separately and then add it to the cooked meat in the pot.

Slice the onion and set your frying pan on heat, add about 300ml of groundnut/vegetable oil after the frying pan is dry. Add the sliced onions and fry for about 2 minutes to release the scent into the oil then pour in the tomatoes and fry (stirring occasionally to avoid burning).

This is just where most people miss it, have you made a tomato stew with sour taste? Something that tasted less than what you eat in restaurants? You can correct that now.

The secret to loosing the sour taste is just by frying with lots of oil (which could be reduced after frying – optionally) and then the use of onions. Then you have to keep stiring for the next 10-15 minute, you dont wanna end up with burned tomato stew.

Fry till the tomatoes lose its accompanying water and boils in oil alone. Then you can transfer to the main pot and add the delice or onga, add the maggi (seasoning), the ground crayfish/nutmeg and allow to cook ten minutes before adding the vegetable (optional and you are done with the preparation of tomato stew.

This is how to make tomato stew, it could be served as you see above or with yam, beans, I even eat bread and stew often – it is delicious.

Here is the video for making Nigerian tomato stew, follow this step by step video guide and also learn about all the ingredients used in making this popular Nigerian stew recipe