Nigerian beef stew is a versatile African tomato stew featuring tender fried beef, roasted peppers, and layered spices. It's a staple dish eaten across Nigeria and other parts of Africa, adaptable to any side—from rice to fufu to bread.
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Boil beef with 2tsp bouillon powder, 1/2 tsp salt and chopped onion, oregano and boil till tender. This should take between 20 minutes or longer depending on the cut of meat used. Tougher meat would take longer to cook. Take the beef out of the stock, sieve the stock to get rid of scum and reserve for later
Place a saucepan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and heat till hot, carefully drop the meat into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You may choose to grill the meat for healthier option
Place the fried beef on a kitchen towel and move on to cooking the stew
To the hot oil, carefully add the pepper mix, stir to combine, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Stir to combine, if the stew is becoming thick, add beef stock or water to avoid burning. (Remember this is fried stew so you only need to add little water/stock at a time if using at all)
Add curry and thyme or any other spices you choose to add and stir to combine.
Add bouillon powder or salt (you can use the combination of both but be careful, so you don’t overdo it. Remember you have added salt and bouillon to boil the beef. Also, if you have added the beef stock to the stew, you might not need to add salt or bouillon powder)Return the fried beef to the stew, stir until well combined and continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes or until oil floats on top of the stew.Turn off the heat and serve stew warm with side of choice
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding water if needed to loosen.
Boiling the beef takes 20 minutes or longer depending on the cut; frying takes a few minutes, and simmering the finished stew takes 10–15 minutes. Total time is roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Use tougher cuts like chuck or brisket that benefit from boiling first to tenderize. Tougher meat takes longer to cook than tender cuts.
Yes. The recipe notes you may grill the meat as a healthier option instead of frying in oil.
Simmer for 10–15 minutes after returning the beef until oil floats on top of the stew.
It pairs with rice, fufu, bread, or other staples. The recipe notes it is versatile and can be eaten with anything.
