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    Home » African Recipes » African Stews

    Nov 10, 2024

    Nigerian Beef Stew (African Stew)

    Published on Nov 10, 2024. Updated on Nov 24, 2024. By Tayo. This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure. 104 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    Nigerian Beef Stew pinterest

    Nigerian Beef Stew is a mouthwatering West African stew made with blended tomatoes, red bell peppers, and habanero peppers and spiced to perfection. It is so versatile and is amazing with so many different dishes!

    Nigerian beef stew in a pot

    Nigerian stew is by far the most popular dish in Nigeria. It is traditionally eaten with rice or boiled yam. I make this every week and always have it in my fridge, as it makes meal prep a breeze. It is definitely a staple in my Nigerian household!

    This beef stew is made with beef cuts, but you can change it up as you like. You can make it using chicken like in this African chicken stew or add leafy greens like in this African Spinach Stew.

    I like that I can come back home after being gone all day, and quickly warm up some low carb rice and have it with this delicious stew. It is so easy to make and you can't go wrong with it!

    What is Nigerian Stew?

    Nigerian stew, also known as Nigerian tomato stew, is a popular West African cuisine, made with fresh tomatoes (or tomato paste), red bell peppers, and scotch bonnet peppers (or habanero peppers). The vegetables are simmered in olive oil, peanut oil, or red palm oil.

    It is usually made with animal protein like fish, goat meat, beef, lamb, or chicken drumsticks. This stew is native to Nigeria and some other countries in West Africa.

    Ingredients Used

    • Olive oil: To fry the tomatoes and pepper mixture. Other popular choices are peanut oil, vegetable oil, or palm oil.
    • Vegetables: Tomatoes, red bell peppers, habanero pepper, and onions. The traditional Nigerian beef stew is made with scotch bonnet peppers, but a good substitute is habanero pepper, which is similar in heat and flavor. For the tomatoes, it is best to use plum tomatoes (also known as Roma tomatoes). These are best for Nigerian stews because they are denser and have less juice. You can also use yellow onions or red onions for this African stew.
    • Spices: Bouillon powder (or bouillon cubes), thyme, black pepper, curry powder, and salt.
    • Broth/stock: To enhance the flavor. You can use beef or chicken stock or water if you don't have any.
    • Beef cuts: This is my choice of animal protein for this recipe.
    ingredients used to make nigerian beef stew

    How To Make Nigerian Beef Stew

    This African beef stew is quite easy to make.

    • Start by preparing the beef. If not already pre-cut, cut the beef into bite-size pieces, 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.
    • Blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, habanero pepper, and half of the onion in a food processor. Chop the other half of the onion and set it aside.
    • 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 pot. When heated, add the chopped onions and stir until they begin to wilt. Pour in the tomato mixture, add black pepper, and stir. I don’t add other spices just yet because I will add 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 needed. Add the thyme, bouillon powder, and curry. Taste for salt before adding any.
    • Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes on medium-high heat. Your beef stew is ready to eat!
    Nigerian beef stew collage
    Nigerian beef stew collage
    Nigerian beef stew collage

    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!

    Recipe Video

    Click on the image below to watch me make this recipe from start to finish on YouTube!

    african beef stew youtube video link

    What Can I Eat This Recipe with?

    This Nigerian stew is a side dish that can go really well with a lot of dishes. It is usually eaten with white rice or jollof rice. On a low carb diet, I eat my Nigerian stew with cauliflower rice, shirataki noodles, or skinny rice.

    How To Make Ahead For Meal Prep

    This Nigerian beef stew is perfect for meal prep and can be made ahead if you're short on time.

    One way to do this is to blend the tomatoes and peppers ahead of time and freeze them in sizable portions. Before you freeze, boil the blended mixture for about 10 minutes to reduce the moisture content so it lasts longer.

    This stew base can remain frozen for many months. Let it thaw overnight before you use it to make stew. You can also make a pot of stew, freeze it in proportions, and take it out as needed.

    nigerian beef stew served over shirataki noodles

    Tips when making African Stew

    • When blending the vegetables, it helps to blend the tomatoes first because they release enough moisture, which helps to blend the other vegetables. After the tomatoes are well pureed, add the bell peppers, habanero peppers, and onions and blend again.
    • Nigerian beef stew tastes much 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 the excess water evaporate over medium-low heat.
    • Use fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavor.
    • 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.
    • If it is still too spicy, remove the core and seeds of the habanero pepper before using it.
    • Alternatively, you can add an extra tomato or two to tone down the heat of this Nigerian stew.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What Is The Best Beef Cut For Nigerian Stew?

    For this Nigerian stew recipe, 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.

    Is Nigerian Stew Spicy?

    Nigerian stew is often spicy since it is made with scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers. These hot peppers help cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes and improve the flavor of the stew. You can use more or less pepper, depending on your preference.

    Enjoy these other Nigerian stews!

    African Fish Stew

    Nigerian Chicken Stew Recipe

    Ofada Stew (Green Bell Pepper Stew)

    Efo Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew)

    Mafe (African Peanut Stew)

    Nigerian Turkey Stew

    african beef stew, also known as nigerian tomato stew is a delicious and popular side dish

    Need more African spicy foods? Try these!

    Asun (Peppered Goat Meat)

    Peppered Gizzard

    Fumbwa (Congolese Spinach Stew)

    African Goat Stew

    Instant Pot African Lamb Stew

    📖 Recipe

    Nigerian beef stew in a pot

    Nigerian Beef Stew (African Stew)

    Nigerian Beef Stew is a mouthwatering West African stew made with blended tomatoes, red bell peppers, and habanero peppers and spiced to perfection. It is so versatile and is amazing with so many different dishes!
    4.91 from 53 votes
    Print Pin SaveSaved!
    Course: Soups & Stews
    Cuisine: African
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 284kcal
    Author: Tayo Oredola
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    Ingredients

    To boil the beef

    • 1 lb beef
    • 1.5 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    To make the stew

    • 3 plum tomatoes
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 1 habanero pepper
    • 1 onion
    • ½ cup olive oil
    • ½ cup beef stock/broth
    • 1 tablespoon bouillon powder
    • ½ teaspoon thyme
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon curry
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    To boil the beef

    • Wash beef and place in a pot.
      1 lb beef
    • Add water, salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil.
      1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
    • 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.
      3 plum tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 habanero pepper, 1 onion
    • 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.
      ½ cup olive oil
    • Add the blended tomato and pepper mixture and black pepper and stir.
      ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • Boil for 5 minutes on medium heat.
    • Add the beef and ½ cup of stock and mix together.
      ½ cup beef stock/broth
    • 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.
      1 tablespoon bouillon powder, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon curry, salt
    • Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.
    • Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    Each serving contains 3 net carbs and serves 8.
    • When blending the vegetables, 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.
    • Nigerian beef stew tastes much 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.
    • 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.
    • If it is still too spicy, remove the core and seeds of the habanero pepper before using it.
    • Alternatively, you can add an extra tomato or two, to tone down the heat of this Nigerian stew.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 910IU | Vitamin C: 28.1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1.4mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Casandra says

      September 24, 2024 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      The recipe is great! I am wondering if 1Kg of beef is what you meant in the ingredients list because 1lb of beef is not much.

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        November 26, 2024 at 9:36 pm

        Hi Casandra, I used just one pound cut into smaller pieces but of course you can use whatever works for you. Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply
    2. Lucy Castillo says

      August 23, 2024 at 1:31 pm

      Hi Tayo, are you making the stew in one pot, and boiling the beef in another (so two separate pots)? Or can you make this a one-pot stew to reduce dishes? Thank you. Just found your blog and super excited to try this.

      Reply
      • Tayo Oredola says

        August 29, 2024 at 12:49 pm

        Hi Lucy, I use different pots for this dish. To use one pot, after boiling the beef, separate the beef and broth into separate bowls, then give the pot a quick wipe with a paper towel before pouring in the oil to sauté the onions.

        Reply
        • Lucy says

          August 30, 2024 at 1:47 pm

          Hi Tayo, thanks for replying. Because I am feeling a bit lazy this Labor Day weekend, I decided to use stew meat... not sure if that will be an acceptable substitution. I also opted to use two pots (technically one pot for the stew/beef and one pan for the onions/mixture) but after heating the onion and pepper mixture like you said, I poured all that from the pan into the pot if that makes sense. And with the olive oil, do you mean 1/2 tbsp instead of 1/2 c? Half a cup sounds a lot just for onions unless you're supposed to blend it with the pepper mixture? Thank you again! Hope my first attempt tastes ok LOL.

          Reply
          • Tayo Oredola says

            August 30, 2024 at 2:35 pm

            Hi Lucy, yes two pots sound about right. I use 1/2 cup of oil because I will eventually pour in the tomatoes and pepper mixture in it. You can use less oil (1/4 cup instead) or use 1/2 cup and then scoop out the excess oil from the top when it's done. I hope that makes sense!

          • Lucy says

            September 04, 2024 at 11:45 am

            Yes it actually turned out a bit soupy/watery because I don't think I used enough meat, or I may have used too many tomatoes. However, the flavor was ON POINT. I also tried your air fryer green beans to go w/this and they were PERFECT.

          • Tayo Oredola says

            September 05, 2024 at 11:58 am

            Hey Lucy, I talk about this in the tips section. I use Roma tomatoes and add very little water when blending. Other types of tomatoes might have more liquid content and you will have to pour the mixture into a pot and let some liquid evaporate over medium-high heat. I'm glad you liked the air fryer green beans!

    3. Frances Brown says

      September 01, 2023 at 7:23 am

      5 stars
      Hi Tayo! I've tried the Nigerian Beef Stew twice! OMG, its absolutely delish! Our household loves spicy foods, so I added 3 habanero peppers including the seeds. The second time making, I doubled the portion as we were entertaining guests. My husband and I enjoy cooking, and now I'm the queen of fabulous dishes in my house this week.
      Question: what Nigerian side dishes do you recommend for me the next time I prepare this meal? I would love to try those recipes too. Again, 5 stars for Nigerian Beef Stew! 😊

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        September 10, 2023 at 10:40 pm

        Hi Frances, I'm so glad you all loved this Nigerian stew! You can also try the chicken stew or turkey stew on my blog.

        Reply
    4. Brad says

      May 25, 2023 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      I absolutely loved the flavour, and consistency the only thing I would do is put curry in a higher (tall) cylindrical or small surface area container after cooking for purpose of removing olive oil. There are other Nigerian dishes that have similar preparation to them that are also delicious.? Thank you for the wonderful eats: )

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        June 15, 2023 at 12:57 am

        I'm glad you enjoyed the stew, Brad!

        Reply
    5. Jae says

      April 08, 2023 at 12:42 pm

      Can't wait to try this! Can you explain what bouillon powder is? Beef bouillon? Can I use a cube?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        April 12, 2023 at 9:14 pm

        Boillon is concentrated broth/stock sold in powder or cube form. It gives so much umami flavor to the dish, but of course, you can substitute it with your favorite spice. I have a link to the brand I use in the recipe card.

        Reply
    6. Kat says

      April 08, 2023 at 12:34 pm

      how can that feed 8 people?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        April 12, 2023 at 9:16 pm

        It can feed up to 8 people because you don't need a lot for each meal. You can use more than 1 serving if you wish.

        Reply
    7. shar says

      March 25, 2023 at 12:57 pm

      4 stars
      Do you blend the veggies with any of the stock? Is one habanero enough heat, I've seen recipes with 2 scotch bonnet peppers?

      Reply
      • Tayo says

        March 27, 2023 at 12:57 pm

        No, I don't add stock when blending the veggies. You can actually add as much or as little habanero pepper as you want, depending on how spicy you want it to be.

        Reply
      • Bianca Dorrian says

        April 15, 2023 at 12:18 am

        This recipe looks amazing!

        Just one question though, can you use a crockpot/slow cooker for this particular recipe? I was planning to cook the recipe this way but just wanted to ask first if this is possible for this recipe.

        Reply
        • Tayo says

          April 20, 2023 at 12:04 pm

          Hi Bianca, I know some people have made it in the slow cooker, but I have not tried it before. Let me know if you do!

          Reply
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    4.91 from 53 votes (34 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Tayo!

    tayo oredola

    Welcome to Low Carb Africa, the home of Keto & Low Carb African-inspired recipes. I specialize in creating mouthwatering recipes with rich, bold, and spicy flavors. Get ready to lose weight, look amazing and be in your best health ever!

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