Curry bases & pastes

Nigerian Pepper Base

Blended red peppers, tomatoes, onion and scotch bonnet, fried down slowly in oil with thyme, curry powder and bay until thick and rich. The base for jollof rice and Nigerian stews.

makes 41 cubes, about 10p each

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Illustration of a bowl of Nigerian Pepper Base

Time: 1 hr 30 min15 min prep · 1 hr 15 min cook
Makes: 41 cubes
Cost per cubePer cube: 10p
Calories per cubeCalories: 34 kcal
A serving: 3 cubes
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

cubes

3 (480g)red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 × 400g tinsplum tomatoes
2 (300g)onions, 1 roughly chopped, 1 thinly sliced
2 (20g)scotch bonnets, stems removed
4 cloves (20g)garlic
100mlrapeseed oil
40gtomato purée
2gdried thyme
4gmild curry powder
2bay leaves
1vegetable stock cube, crumbled
4gsalt

Allergens: none of the 14 major allergens in the ingredients as listed. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Nutrition

estimated

	1 cube	3 cubes
Energy	34 kcal	102 kcal
Protein	0.5g	1.5g
Carbs	2.5g	7.5g
Fat	2.4g	7.2g
Fibre	0.6g	1.8g
Salt	0.22g	0.66g

Method

Step 1: Blitz the peppers, tomatoes, chopped onion, scotch bonnets and garlic until smooth.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat and fry the sliced onion until soft and golden. (8 min)
Step 3: Stir in the tomato purée and fry, stirring, until it darkens. (3 min)
Step 4: Pour in the blended mixture and add the thyme, curry powder, bay leaves, stock cube and salt. Bring to the boil.
Step 5: Simmer briskly, partly covered as it spits, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes and more often towards the end, until reduced by about half, thick and deep red, with the oil rising to the top. (1 hr)
Step 6: Remove the bay leaves. Cool, spoon into 30ml trays and freeze.

Use it for

6 cubesJollof rice for two: 150g rice and 300ml stock
4 cubesNigerian chicken or beef stew
3 cubesEgg stew: fry with a little onion and scramble in 2 eggs
3 cubesStewed black-eyed beans with fried plantain

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per cube	34	0.5g	2.5g	2.4g	0.6g	0.22g
Per 3 cubes	102	1.5g	7.5g	7.2g	1.8g	0.66g

Cook’s notes

Fry straight from frozen in a little oil, or drop the cubes into the pot of rice or stew.
A chicken stock cube gives the flavour most Nigerian cooks use, though the base is then no longer vegan.
Use a wide pan: the more surface, the faster the water cooks off.

Use it for

Jollof rice for two: 150g rice and 300ml stock · 6 cubes
Nigerian chicken or beef stew · 4 cubes
Egg stew: fry with a little onion and scramble in 2 eggs · 3 cubes
Stewed black-eyed beans with fried plantain · 3 cubes

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 30ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 6 months.
Use from frozen: Fry straight from frozen in a little oil, or drop the cubes into the pot of rice or stew. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
A portion: 3 cubes is a serving: about 102 kcal.

Nigerian Pepper Base questions

Why cook it until the oil rises?

When the oil separates and pools on top, the water has cooked off and the raw taste of the peppers has gone. It gives a sweeter, deeper base that won't make jollof rice soggy.

Can I use fresh tomatoes?

Use 800g ripe tomatoes in place of the tins. They hold more water, so allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes to cook the base down.

What can I use instead of scotch bonnets?

Habanero chillies have the same fruity heat. For a gentler base, use 2 or 3 ordinary red chillies instead.