Obe Ata Dindin (Fried pepper sauce)

I was at a 1yr old's birthday party held recently and one of the meals i got treated to was boli (roasted plantain) served with ata din din and fried shawa (herring) fish. The heat was unbelievable and the taste fantabulous. Most times people often confuse ata din din with buka stew, ofada stew, agoyin stew or ayamase but in actual fact they're all totally different. Obe ata din din is a popular peppered dipping stew which is mostly sold in local restaurants or roadside food kiosks alongside fried plantain, fried yam, roasted plantain/yam (boli) and a host of others. It could also be paired with yamarita. The unique thing about ata sauce is the fact that during preparation, the pepper used isn't ground till smooth so you'd still be able to see bits of unpulverized pepper and the seeds. Here's How to make ata dindin....

How to make obe ata din din
• Prep time:  10 mins
• Cook time: 30 mins
• Total time: 40 mins

• Region:      Western Nigeria

Ingredients:::

• 14 ata rodo "scotch bonnets"

• 4 tatashey "red bell pepper"

• 7 shombo "chili pepper"

• 1 large red onion

• 2 cups oil (vegetable or palm oil "bleached") 

• seasoning cube 

• salt to taste

Directions:::

Step 1: Remove the stalk from the Scotch bonnet and chili peppers, Remove the seeds from the tatashey, Wash the peppers with clean water and set aside. 

Step 2: Place the washed peppers in a blender, add the onion and grind coarsely (not smooth). You should still be able to see the seeds from the chili and scotch bonnet once you're done. 

Step 3: Pour the blended pepper puree in a small pot and cook on medium heat till all the liquid evaporates. 

Step 4: Add the oil, crushed seasoning and salt to taste and leave to fry for about 10-15 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. Your ata dindin is ready once the oil floats to the top. 

Serve with roasted plantain, yamarita, fried plantain, fried or roasted yam/potato e.t.c.