Recipe

Efo-Riro – Nigerian Vegetable Stew

Aramide Pearce 2AuthorAramide PearceYields1 ServingCategory
Cook Time30 mins

Efo-riro is a rich vegetable soup that is native to the Yorubas of Western Nigeria. 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. 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.

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

Directions

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.

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

Directions

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.

Efo-Riro – Nigerian Vegetable Stew

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