How To Make Nigerian Curry Stock

Updated July 2026. Recipe adapted from my debut cookbook, Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria.

Stock – the bedrock of Jollof Rice, of Fried Rice, Stews and more is easy to make. Nigerian stock differs from ‘Western’ style stocks because of the ingredients used.

Your average Nigerian curry stock has red onions, fresh ginger and garlic, curry powder and dried thyme and more. In Europe, America and some other parts of the world, stock is commonly made with white onions, carrots and celery and the resulting flavours are different from our Nigerian-style stock. The key though, and one thing both focus on is flavour. 

My best pot has a bit of heat from the chilies, ginger and garlic and flavour from the curry powder and dried thyme.

Meat

Yes, your favourite bony cuts work a treat here – backs, bones, whatever. I generally restrict myself to beef, chicken or both depending on what I have to hand, I prefer making a mix of chicken and beef – I find it more balanced – rich yet light.

Red Onions

You don’t need to slice your onions finely for this. – quarter or roughly chop.

I remember Jamie Oliver saying that he added onion skins to his stock and I’ve tried it a few times – it doesn’t add much to the flavour but it definitely deepens the colour – just ensure your onions are well washed if you plan on leaving the skins on. I opt for skinless.

Green Bell Pepper

I love the flavour green bell peppers add to my stock and I don’t ever skip this.

Chilies

Of which yellow peppers are my favourite. I don’t bother chopping up, I just wash and cut in half. 

Fresh Ginger & Garlic

I use whole ones or ginger and garlic paste.

Curry Powder & Dried Thyme

Must-haves in any pot of Nigerian stock – this twinned spices make a world of difference and add distinct sweet and warm notes to any pot.

Salt

Need I say more – salt to taste.

Water

Yes. I haven’t made mine with wine or beer or anything other than water.

Optional

Sometimes, I add coriander seeds on a whim :).

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900 g) raw bone-in beef and chicken pieces
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons Curry Powder
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 3 large dried bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 thumb-size pieces fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 medium garlic cloves, peeled

In a stockpot, combine the meat, onion, bell pepper, Scotch bonnet (if using), curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the meat loses its raw look, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the meat begins to yield juices, 5 minutes more. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot to dislodge any toasty bits, cover, and cook for 10 minutes more.

In a blender, combine the ginger, garlic, and 2 cups (480 ml) water; blend until thoroughly combined. Strain the ginger-garlic mixture through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the pot, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the solids.

Add enough water to the pot to just cover all the solid ingredients (about 2½ quarts/2.4 L) and stir well to incorporate. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, about 12 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the stock is aromatic, the vegetables are soft, and the meat is tender but retains some resistance, 40 to 45 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. With tongs, transfer the meat to the strainer. Let it drain and cool for about 15 minutes. With a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the cooked vegetables and bay leaves to the blender with 1 cup (240 ml) of the stock and puree until homogeneous and smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer back into the pot with the remaining stock, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Stir well to incorporate.

There will be some fat, which you can skim off immediately with a ladle or large spoon, or let the stock cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container until the fat solidifies on the surface, then remove it and reserve it for other uses or discard it.

The stock can be portioned into freezer-safe containers, refrigerated for 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

So there – my way to Nigerian-style curry stock. What’s yours?