Do you like Buka stew and you want to try it at home? Then this post is for you. People like Buka a lot this can only explain why we have a lot of people crowding the woman who sells mama put during lunchtime and even breakfast to be served food laced with the authentic Buka stew. You will see several of these shacks known as Buka close to office buildings. Mama Put is derived from the expression people use to place their orders. “Mama put rice and beans for me.” It is just an exclamation or a name given to the people who sell food. The early morning rush and screams for food are so hilarious. Everyone holding their plates.
Buka Stew Ingredients
Please take note of the following ingredients before entering the market to purchase the ingredients for your buka stew.
- 1kg soft, gone off tomatoes
- Peppers (Tatashe,Shombo it is a type of cayenne,Habanero peppers known as atarodo)
- Assorted meat
- Beef cuts
- Beef intestines (roundabout)
- Cow tripe (shaki)
- Cow skin (ponmo, kanda)
- Vegetable oil
- 150g tomato paste
- 1 big mackerel fish
- 4 small seasoning cubes
- 2 onions
- 1 teaspoon thyme or to your taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- Salt to taste
Notes on the ingredients for buka stew
- For buka stew, you need tomatoes that are very soft, that have developed a special kind of taste. See the video below for how to simulate that in your kitchen if you are not in Nigeria.
- Shombo has the same shape as tiny cayenne peppers but it is not as hot as cayenne peppers.
- If you do not have tatashe, use fresh paprika peppers.
Before you prepare Mama Put Stew
There are certain things you must take note of and also do before cooking your buka stew.
- Clean the tomatoes, de-seed the tatashe and blend the peppers and tomatoes with the heavy-duty grinders in Nigerian markets (see video below). These grinders do a better job blending the soft tomatoes with the “plastic” skin than home blenders. If you do not have a heavy-duty grinder close to you, use your home blender.
- Slice some of the onions and chop some.
- Clean the mackerel and cut into 1-inch-thick slices.
- Clean the meat. Turn the intestines inside out and clean very well else your buka stew will taste badly.
Directions for making Buka Stew (Mama Put Stew)
These are the ingredients for cooking your buka stew. All you have to do is stick to the instructions and you are good to go, sit down afterwards and enjoy your meal with a chilled drink.
- Pour the tomato puree in a big enough pot, boil on the stove till all the water dries up.
- Add the tomato paste, mix very well, and set aside.
- Cook the meats with onions, 3 seasoning cubes, and thyme.
- Boil the fish with onions and 1 seasoning cube to get the fish stock.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a pot. Add some onions and fry the fish till golden. Set aside.
- Add more onions to the oil and fry the tomato puree till perfect. Click here for how to fry your best tomato stew base for Nigerian cooking.
- Add curry powder, the meats, the fried fish, and the fish and meat stock.
- Stir very well and add salt if necessary.
- Cover and leave to simmer and it’s done!
You can serve your stew with boiled white rice, boiled beans, boiled white yam, fried plantains, fried potatoes, you can even dip soft bread inside your stew, bread lovers would enjoy this Lagosians call it Agege Bread. The taste is on another level. Just make sure you get the taste by following the process.
