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Ofada Rice with Ayamase Sauce

Name: Ofada Rice with Ayamase Sauce
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 2 cups ofada rice (short-grain unpolished local Nigerian rice); 4 green bell peppers; 3 green scotch bonnets; 1 onion; 2 tbsp locust beans (iru); 1/4 cup palm oil; 1.5 lbs assorted meats; 2 tbsp crayfish; 2 seasoning cubes; salt to taste

Ofada Rice with Ayamase Sauce reads umami 5.5, richness 4.4 and salinity 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Nigerian main, about 45 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 1.8 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.5 · Richness 4.4 · Salinity 3.9 · Marine & Briny 3.5 · Allium 3.3 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Sweetness 1.6 · Bitterness 1.4 · Earthy 1.2 · Floral 0.9 · Sourness 0.5 · Nutty 0.5

What's in it (10)

2 cups ofada rice (short-grain unpolished local Nigerian rice)
4 green bell peppers
3 green scotch bonnets
1 onion
2 tbsp locust beans (iru)
1/4 cup palm oil
1.5 lbs assorted meats
2 tbsp crayfish
2 seasoning cubes
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 45 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 196.3 kcal, 7.1 g protein, 11.3 g fat, 16.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Cook the earthy ofada rice in plenty of water, parboiling and washing several times to reduce its strong aroma.
For the ayamase sauce, blend green peppers and scotch bonnets, then bleach palm oil before frying the pepper blend, locust beans, and cooked assorted meats together until thick.
Serve the rice wrapped in banana leaf with the sauce poured over.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Cullen Skink — British
Shrimp Étouffée — Cajun/Creole
Pancit Molo (Filipino Wonton Soup) — Filipino
Arroz Negro — Spanish
Polvo à Lagareiro — Portuguese

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.