Lobster Mushroom Obe Ata Stew
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Obe Ata is a stew/sauce commonly enjoyed in West Africa, particularly Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. As a sauce, it’s often used as a base for Jollof rice, as a breakfast dish akin to shakshuka, or even as a dip for bread or french fries, but sometimes it’s also served as a thick, vibrantly red stew that is usually served with rice.
The stew version is what caught my eye. Though it’s usually made with fish or chicken (often with the inclusion of hard boiled eggs), I had some recently foraged lobster mushrooms (Hypomyces lactifluorum) in the kitchen just begging to be added.
The traditional recipe calls for some hard-to-find ingredients, so I made several substitutions to come up with as similar a flavor as I could. To replace the traditional Iru, a type of locally fermented locust bean that might prove elusive to Western shoppers, I used curry powder, and for the traditional powdered crayfish, I used Asian fish sauce, which I hope carries some similar funky saltiness.
The end product was incredible; the thick and spicy sauce went perfectly with the rich lobster mushrooms, and I felt that though it was a bit different from the traditional dish, it definitely still carried its spirit!
Feel free to reduce the amount of chilies and spice if you don’t like things quite as spicy as I (or apparently West Africans!) do.
Serves: 4-6
Time to make: about 2 hours
Special Equipment: Sheet pan, Blender
Also make with: Chicken of the Woods mushroom
Looking for more lobster mushroom recipes? Try out this Marinated Woodland Mushroom Medley by Adam Berkelmans!
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Lobster Mushroom Obe Ata Stew
4-6
servings30
minutes1
hour30
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
2 lbs lobster mushrooms (or Chicken of the Woods mushroom), cleaned and cut into large, bite-sized pieces
3 red bell peppers
2 red finger or cayenne chillies (seeded if you like it less spicy)
2 habanero chiles (seeded if you like it less spicy)
3 tomatoes
1 red onion
5 cloves garlic
1 thumb ginger, peeled
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons red palm oil (or olive oil)
2 cups chicken, game, or mushroom stock
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons red chili powder (omit for less spicy)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 eggs
2 teaspoons fish sauce
Sliced scallions for garnish
Rice to serve
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Add the bell peppers, chilies, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and ginger to a large baking sheet. Toss the vegetables in half of the oil (3 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt then roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Flip the veggies and roast for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, melt the rest of oil (3 tablespoons) in big skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lobster mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the curry powder, cook for 2 more minutes, add chili powder, thyme, and stock. Bring to a simmer, then take off heat.
- Boil eggs for 10 minutes. Run under cold water and peel.
- Add the roasted veggies to a blender and blitz until smooth (add in a tbsp or two of stock to make it easier to blend). Add the resulting liquid and the fish sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until liquid thickens to your liking, then stir in whole peeled eggs.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve with rice, garnished with sliced scallions. Enjoy!
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