Sierra Leonean Ox Cheek Stew Recipe
1 hour 45 minutes plus 3 hours stewing time
- 2 1/2 tsp grains of paradise
- 2 tbsp of black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp of white peppercorns
- 1 tbsp of cubeb pepper
- 3 tbsp of allspice berries
- 1kg ox cheek, sinew trimmed
- 250ml of sunflower oil, plus extra for frying
- 750ml of beef stock
- 1 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 grains of selim
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 20g of fresh ginger
- 20g of garlic, about 5 cloves
- 1 scotch bonnet chilli, or 2, seeds left in, or to taste
- 1.5kg large onions, about 6–8, finely chopped
- 55g of tomato purée
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- finely chopped chives, to garnish
- For the West African pepper blend, toast all the peppercorns in a dry pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Allow to cool and then grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Store in an airtight jar and use within three months
- Heat a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Season the ox cheeks lightly with salt
- Drizzle a little sunflower oil into the pan, using just enough to thinly coat the bottom. Sear the meat in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan for a good dark brown colour on both sides.
- Transfer the browned meat to a large large saucepan and pour over the beef stock. Bring to the boil, turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 4-5 hours until the meat is very tender but not quite falling apart
- Meanwhile, toast the remaining whole spices in a hot, dry frying pan until fragrant, then cool and finely grind in a pestle and mortar. Mix with the ground spices and 1 teaspoon of West African pepper blend and set aside
- Blend the ginger, garlic and chillies in a food processor and set aside
- To make the stew, heat the 250ml sunflower oil in a large, deep, heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and place a cartouche of dampened baking paper over the top to prevent the steam from escaping and to help the onions to soften. Turn the heat to low and cook gently for 1 hour, checking and stirring occasionally, until the onions are well softened and starting to caramelise
- When the onions are soft and sweet, remove the paper, increase the heat and add the ginger, garlic and chilli paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the spices, tomato purée, bay leaves and thyme. Cook for another 1-2 minutes and add the ox cheeks. Try to add as little of the stock left in the ox cheek pan as possible; this is important because in Sierra Leone a ‘stew’ is not a liquid-based dish
- Season with 2 tsp salt or more to taste. Cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring very gently as not to break apart the cheek. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs
- Serve the stew covered with finely chopped chives and with Maria's jollof rice alongside
Maria Bradford’s Sierra Leonean ox cheek stew is the perfect accompaniment to her Sierra Leonean jollof rice. It's made by slowly cooking ox cheeks in beef stock until tender, before adding to a stew of caramelised onions, spices and a West African pepper blend. At her restaurant Shwen Shwen, Maria keeps the cheeks whole in the stew, which makes for a deeply satisfying eating experience.
Maria Bradford says: 'Sierra Leonean-style beef stew is but one component of a fabulous duet. Everyone knows Sierra Leone is the longstanding, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when it comes to jollof rice, and this beef stew is its soul mate (or its match made in heaven). West Africans can get quite passionate about who makes the best jollof, and if the same rivalry existed for beef stew it’s safe to say we'd probably own that title, too. Passions run deep with this kind of talk so remember… I'm just joshing with you.'.
