Nigerian Beef Stew is a mouthwatering West African stew made with blended tomatoes, bell peppers, habanero pepper, and herbs. This will quickly become a favorite stew in your low carb journey!
It is by far the most popular side dish made in Nigeria because it goes great with so many dishes. I make this every week and always have it in my fridge as it makes meal prep a breeze.
I like that I can come back home after being gone all day, and quickly warm up some cauliflower rice and have it with this beef stew. It is so easy to make and you can’t go wrong with it!
Ingredients used in making Nigerian Beef Stew
Olive oil: To fry the tomatoes and pepper mixture. Another popular choice is peanut oil or palm oil.
Vegetables: Tomatoes, bell peppers, habanero pepper, and onions. The traditional Nigerian beef stew is made with scotch bonnet peppers. A good substitute is habanero pepper which is slightly less hot but still very hot all the same.
Spices: I use bouillon powder, thyme, black pepper, curry, and salt.
Broth/stock: To enhance the flavor.
Beef cuts.
What is the best cut of beef for stew?
For this beef stew, it is better to go for tougher, less expensive cuts of beef.
Tougher cuts have lots of collagen-rich connective tissue which becomes nice and chewy after cooking.
The best cut for this beef stew is the chuck which includes the shoulder, neck and upper arm muscles of the cow.
How to make Nigerian beef stew
We start by preparing the beef. If not already pre-cut, cut the beef into midsized cubes, wash and drain.
Place in a pot and add enough water to cover it, then add salt and black pepper.
You don’t need to add a lot of spices here. You need just enough to bring out the flavor but remember spices will still be added to the stew.
Let it cook for roughly 20-25 minutes. You can let it cook a bit longer if you want it more tender, or a bit shorter if you want it tougher.
While the beef is cooking, let’s prepare the base for the stew. Blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, habanero pepper and half of the onion together. Chop the other half onion and set aside.
You can use a regular blender but I use a smaller personal blender because it blends to just the right texture and I don’t have to add water to it.
It helps to blend the tomatoes first because it releases enough moisture which helps to blend the other vegetables. After the tomatoes are well pureed, add the bell peppers, habanero pepper, and onions and blend again.
The stew really tastes more flavorful if the blended mixture does not contain a lot of water. If it turns out watery when you blend it, pour it into a pot and let some of the water evaporate over medium heat.
When the beef is ready, drain it out from the stock, but save the stock. We’ll still need it later to add flavor to the stew.
Add olive oil to a large skillet. When heated, add the onions and stir until it just begins to wilt. Pour in the blended tomato and pepper mixture, add black pepper and stir.
I don’t add other spices just yet because I will be adding the stock later on, and I don’t want to run the risk of the stew being too salty. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add in the beef and some of the stock. I add half a cup of stock first and possibly add a little more if I need to.
Add the thyme, bouillon powder, and curry. Taste for salt before adding any.
Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Your beef stew is ready to eat!
Each serving contains 3 net carbs and serves 8. It can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and still taste really fresh!
What can I eat Nigerian Beef Stew with?
This beef stew is a side dish that can go really well with a lot of dishes. Use it to eat cauliflower rice, shirataki noodles or to add more flavor to a baked chicken dish!
Variations
This recipe is made with beef, but you can make it with chicken, goat meat, turkey or lamb for a delicious variety.
How to make ahead for meal prep
This Nigerian beef stew is perfect for meal prep and can be made ahead in case you’re short on time.
One way to do this is to blend the tomatoes and peppers ahead of time and freeze in sizable portions. Before you freeze, boil the blended mixture for about 10 minutes to reduce the moisture content so it lasts longer.
You can also freeze the completed stew in proportions and take out as needed.
Expert Tips when making Nigerian Beef Stew
This recipe calls for one habanero pepper. If you think it might be too spicy for you, use half a habanero pepper. Do not omit it as the taste will be drastically different if you do.
Better yet, if you have access to scotch bonnet peppers (commonly called ata rodo in Nigeria), you can use that. It will be a lot spicier!
Alternatively, you can add an extra tomato or two, to tone down the heat in this stew.
Enjoy these other low carb stews!
Efo Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew)
Need more African spicy foods? Try these!
Helpful Resources
Stew Science: How to Choose the Best Cuts for Beef Stew
Nigerian Beef Stew
Ingredients
To boil the beef
- 1 lb beef
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
To make the stew
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 habanero pepper
- 1 onion
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup beef stock/broth
- 1 tbsp bouillon powder
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp curry
- salt to taste
Instructions
To boil the beef
- Wash beef and place in a pot.
- Add water, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil.
- After it boils, stir together and let cook for 20-25 minutes.
To make the stew
- Blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, habanero pepper, and half an onion together.
- Chop the other half of the onion.
- Pour olive oil in a pan and when heated, add the chopped onions and stir till its wilted.
- Add the blended tomato and pepper mixture and black pepper and stir.
- Add the beef and 1/2 cup of stock and mix together.
- Add a little more broth if needed, till it has enough of a stew-like consistency.
- Add the thyme, bouillon powder, and curry. Taste for salt before adding any.
- Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe calls for one habanero pepper. If you think it might be too spicy for you, use half a habanero pepper. Do not omit it as the taste will be drastically different if you do.
- Better yet, if you have access to scotch bonnet peppers (commonly called ata rodo in Nigeria), you can use that. It will be a lot spicier!
- Alternatively, you can add an extra tomato or two, to tone down the heat of this beef stew.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this tonight for my husband and I…YUMMY!! I pretty much followed the recipe other than adding some garlic cloves to the sauce. We served it over cauliflower rice & it was delicious. Thanks so muc h.
I’m so thrilled to hear that Wendy! Glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
thank you 🙂 going to have tonight
This looks amazing, but I was surprised that this is a side-dish? It looks like a perfect main course!
Yes, it’s a side dish because it’s almost never eaten alone and is usually a complement to something else like cauliflower rice. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for sharing this sounds amazing. I appreciate that you included tips on meal prepping it.
You’re welcome, Kim. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Not a fan of curry, could you suggest a different spice in iot’s place?
You can use any of your favorite spices or herbs.
I’ve never cooked Nigerian food before, but this recipe is explained in a really straightforward way for a kitchen novice like me.
I’ll add it to my list.
I hope you enjoy it!
hi, this sounds amazing, can i do it with chicken? and what would the cooking differnce be if so?
Yes, you can use chicken. Chicken has a shorter cooking time and it depends on the part of the chicken (breast vs thighs). I’ll say just cook the chicken till its a bit tender and then use for the stew.
What kind of curry do you use here?
I use the McCormick brand and have updated the link in the recipe card. Thanks for stopping by!
Yes, I would like to know as well.
Nevermind, I see your reply now.
No worries! You can actually use whatever your favorite brand is.