The combinations are endless. You can use it as a sauce for rice and pasta, you can refine it further into soups like egusi, Efo , Ewedu etc. With a few tweaks and addition of Orishirishi(meat) you can make it into Ofada sauce. Simply fried and properly stored, it can last up to 5 weeks. This sauce can be very hot, feel free to vary the pepper count to your heat tolerance level.
*For my sauce I used ata wewe (Thai or Tabasco Chili) as the main source of heat, substitute rodo (scotch Bonnet) or shombo (Kashmir chilli).
Ingredients
- Ata wewe (about 20-25) (dependent on your heat tolerance)
- 2 large red bell pepper (tatashe)
- 1 large onion
- 3 cups oil of choice (Groundnut or Palm oil)
- Salt and maggi cube – to taste
Directions
- Combine peppers and onion in a blender. Process into a coarse texture.
- pour processed peppers into a strainer, set aside to drain out excess liquid
- Set a large pot on medium-high heat, heat up the oil then add in the processed pepper, salt and maggi.
- Cover the pot and leave to cook for 45min-1hr, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn’t burn.
- You know your sauce is ready when the oil floats to the top and the sauce changes to a darker red. Skim off any excess oil
Enjoy!
Some Uses of Ata Din Din
Peppered Ponmo
I used some of the sauce above, mixed with some boiled ponmo, added in some blended dried prawns, cooked for another 15 minutes on low heat so the ponmo can “Take in the pepper” and here we are.
Efo ( Alata Swe swe)
Alata-SweSwe in yoruba language is used to describe something with an in and out peppery note. Sort of a now you feel it now you don’t type situation.
Again I used the Ata Dindin sauce mixed in with dried catfish, tomato paste, cooked snails, cooked goat meat, fresh spinach, blended crayfish, and some locust beans.
Happy New Month and Happy Ramadan!
How should I store this
Won’t this be too hot, what about using mostly tatashe and a little rodo. What do you think
Spinach is also know as “Green”. Thats what I ask for when I go to the market.
Green = amaranth, calallo or efo -tete. It’s not thesesame as spinach.
Hello… Plz can dis be used to pepper meat lyk if ur going for peppered chicken….
I luv u by d way.
Absolutely
Sorry, in one of ur reply to someone dt asked for spinach name in Yoruba n u said it has no name in Yoruba. Spinach is called ‘ efo gbure’
Thanks a lot Olaide, I’ve been looking for the yoruba name for a while now and I almost ordered for it online not knowing my mum has it at the back of her house. Thanks again. @ Ronke, pls try to say the names of these ingredients or foods in yoruba cos it will make it easier to know what you are looking for. Good work you are doing here.
I will try my best to include local names when applicable. Spinach is closer to amunututu but they are still different plants.
Efo gbure and spinach are very different plants. Gbure is water leaf. Spinach is not native to Nigeria, that’s why it doesn’t really have a local name.
Pls I want to make this now but discovered I don’t have rodo, can I use ground pepper instead?
this recipe doesn’t call for rodo at all. You need ata-wewe (Thai chilies). You can make the sauce with just ground pepper but the taste will be slightly different.
If using shombo, how many should I use?
Should say do you own a restaurant
Not at this moment, no.
Where are u based do you a restaurant
Thank you for this recipe! I have been searching far and wide for it, and did not find my answer until I decided to look through 9jafoodie. If one were to use ata rodo (habanero) rather than Thai or Tabasco chili, would you still recommend 20-25 pieces, or is an alternate amount advisable?
20-25 rodo will be a little much. 12-15 will be more than enough
Can I use this pepper sauce for stew in rice? And if yes, won’t it be too hot?
yes. you will need to use a very small amount.
Pls wat is ata wewe
It’s a variety of chilli pepper… they are short and a little fat looking :)
Please is it the same as scotch bonnet? I don’t know what ata wewe is either.
I’m surprised you’re not weighing about 1000lbs with all this delicious recipes; how dou you do it?! Anyways, keep bringing all these palatable recipes to our attention……I’m loving every bit of it!❤️
:) with conscious effort o.. lol. Thanks Abike
Please where did I go wrong, everything was going according to plan with this dish, I opened it turned my head to do something turned it back and it had all burnt with 10 mins to go on my clock ????? I’m so sad right now are you not meant to open the lid while its cooking?
Ho nooooo.. I am so sorry it got burnt. It’s completely fine to open the lid. Did you stir the sauce at all? I am heart broken for you.. sorry :(. Please do try the sauce again, just watch it closely. It’s okay to take it off the heat as soon as the color changes.
Very nice. Pls what is the yoruba name for spinach?
Hi Funke, there is no Yoruba name for spinach. However, a great alternative is efo tete.
Hi! I’ve been looking around your blog and it’s really nice, thanks for sharing! I’m going to a themed potluck and I’ve been assigned the cuisine of Nigeria! There will be many vegetarians who eat neither meat not fish. If you were to name your 2-3 favorite dishes that fit that bill, what would they be? I appreciate your help! Thank you.
It will be rice masa(rice cake) and akara (beans cake).
Nice one there. Love ur blog