Efo-Riro: A Delicious Nigerian Vegetable Stew Recipe

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Efo-riro is a rich vegetable soup that is native to the Yorubas of Western Nigeria. This vegetable sauce is surprisingly easy to make; the recipe is easy and straight forward. For me, it has not always been just about foods; it has been a lot more.

Last year I started talking about healthy Nigerian foods, how to eliminate junks from foods. I was only hoping for ways to incorporate healthy foods into our daily diet and of course, eliminate junk. I combined vegetable sauce with white boiled rice and served as lunch or dinner.

This dish transports me back home because I always have it when I am back in the holidays, and it tastes better every time. If you want to go all out and eat this the traditional way, you can use your hand to scoop the eba into little ball shapes and dip into the stew.

I have made mine with eba, which is a stiff dough made from garri (cassava grains). The eba is soaked in hot water and then kneaded with a flat wooden spoon to form a mashed potato-like consistency. It is easy to prepare; I find it very delicious and healthier than the alternative.

At some point, you will start knowing the difference between these choices and how one differs from another. If you like, you can even omit the oil completely, just boil the meats, once it is soft, add the sliced tomatoes, pepper, onions to it, allow to cook together for 10-15 minutes, add the crayfish, etc.

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Here is the recipe to make your own Efo-riro.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 2 Red peppers (tatashe)
  • 1 Onion, halved
  • ¼ Chili pepper
  • ½ cup Water
  • 2 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Curry powder
  • 50 g Shrimps
  • 120 g Smoked Basha fillet, cut in chunks
  • 125 g Fresh spinach

Instructions

  1. In a blender combine peppers, onion, tomatoes and scotch bonnet with 1/2 a cup water. Blend the mixture until smooth but not too smooth.
  2. Add vegetable oil to a medium-sized saucepan and leave on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Once hot add in the blended mixture and leave for about 10 minutes till it's slightly thickened.
  3. Put spinach leaves in a medium-sized bowl and add boiling hot water. Set aside for about 7 minutes.
  4. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons tomato puree and 2 tablespoons water to make a paste. Add the paste to the stew mixture along with salt and curry powder. Stir.
  5. Drain spinach and add cold water. Leave for about 5 minutes then squeeze water and set aside.
  6. Add shrimps and cut basa fillet to stew and stir till fully combined.
  7. Add about 1/4 cup of water to stew and leave to cook for about 7 minutes. Then add spinach to stew, stir and leave to simmer for about 7 minutes. Until it produces its own liquid.
  8. Serve on a plate with eba and enjoy.

Alternative Recipe Ingredients

  • 4 cups of sliced fresh tomatoes
  • Sliced fresh pepper to taste
  • 1 cup of sliced onions
  • 3 seasoning cubes
  • 1 KG of assorted meat
  • Half teaspoon of beef seasoning spice
  • One big bowl of sliced fluted pumpkin
  • 3 spoons of ground crayfish
  • 200 ml vegetable oil
  • Salt to taste

Alternative Recipe Instructions

  1. Wash and slice the fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
  2. Slice the vegetables (fluted pumpkin) to tiny bits. Wash before you slice.
  3. Season the assorted meat with two seasoning cubes, half teaspoon of beef seasoning spice, a teaspoon of salt and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Heat your frying pan, add 200ml of vegetable oil, once heated add the sliced onions, then the tomatoes and peppers. Let them fry for 10-15 minutes, stir in-between.
  5. Add the cooked meat, the remaining seasoning cube, salt to taste, ground crayfish and stir, let it simmer for 4 minutes.
  6. Add vegetables, stir, taste for salt.
  7. Let it simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
  8. Serve this vegetable sauce (stew) with rice, beans or yam.

There are different brands of beef seasoning spice, you can pick any of them. Parboil the meat with two seasoning cubes, beef seasoning spice (kitchen glory or any other), half cup of sliced onions, allow to simmer for 5 minutes, add a cup of water and cook for more 30 minutes.

Set your cooking pot on heat, add 250ml of vegetable oil, allow to heat before adding the sliced tomato/pepper/onions. Allow to fry and dry for the next 10-15 minutes, remember to stir occasionally to avoid burning. Add the leaves (vegetables), stir properly and taste for salt.

HOW TO MAKE EFO-RIRO // NIGERIAN SPINACH STEW

The following table contains information from the recipe above:

Nutrient Amount
Calories 557 kcal
Servings 4 People
Cuisine Nigerian Cuisine
Course Lunch

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tags: #Nigeria