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Tomato Stew Base

Fitfam Tomato Stew Base

This Nigerian Tomato Stew Base is a versatile meal prep essential that saves time and makes cooking easy. With a rich blend of tomatoes, red bell peppers, habaneros, onions, garlic, and ginger, this base can be used to whip up quick stews, egg dishes, pasta, or any tomato-based recipe. Using less oil makes it fitfam-friendly while still bursting with authentic Nigerian flavor.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course: base, sauce, stew
Cuisine: Nigerian, West African
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 20 medium roma tomatoes halved
  • 15 large red bell peppers seeds removed, halved
  • 6 habanero peppers
  • 3 medium onions halved, skins removed
  • 1 head garlic peeled
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 bay leaves optional
  • 5 Fresh basil optional, complements tomatoes beautifully

Method
 

  1. Thoroughly clean all ingredients.
  2. Prep: remove seeds from red bell peppers, cut tomatoes and onions in half, peel garlic and ginger.
  3. Transfer everything to a large pot. Add vegetable oil, bay leaves, and basil.
  4. Cook on medium heat. The peppers and tomatoes will release liquid; allow it to cook until the liquid evaporates.
  5. Remove bay leaves and basil.
  6. Blend into a smooth mixture.
  7. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • The tomato and bell pepper counts are by volume, not strict number count.
  • For a richer taste, you can use mostly red bell peppers with fewer tomatoes.
  • Basil is optional but pairs beautifully with tomatoes without overpowering.
  • This is a fitfam-friendly version with less oil than traditional stew bases.