Ingredients
Protein
- 400 gbeef, cubed
- 200 gshaki
- 100 gponmo, optional
- 150 gdried fish, soaked
Pepper base
- 4red bell peppers
- 4scotch bonnets
- 2onions
- 200 mlpalm oil
Seasoning
- 2 tbspground crayfish
- 2 tbspiru
- 2stock cubes
- salt
Greens
- 800 gspinach or shoko leaves, shredded
Directions
- Boil the beef, shaki and ponmo with one chopped onion and a stock cube until tender, keeping all the stock.
- Blend the bell peppers, scotch bonnets and half an onion coarsely, then boil the blend down for 15 minutes until most of the water has gone.
- Reduce the pepper blend before it meets the oil. Raw blended pepper carries a great deal of water, and adding it wet gives a thin sour stew rather than a thick one.
- Heat the palm oil in a wide pot until it just begins to shimmer, then add the remaining sliced onion.
- Do not let the palm oil smoke or bleach pale. Overheated palm oil loses both its colour and its flavour and there is no getting either back.
- Add the reduced pepper paste and fry for 15 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the oil separates and floats on top.
- Add the iru, ground crayfish, the cooked meats, the dried fish and enough of the reserved stock to loosen it.
- Simmer for 10 minutes so everything comes together.
- Wash and shred the spinach, then squeeze it dry in your hands before it goes anywhere near the pot.
- Add the greens and stir just enough to coat them, then take the pot off the heat after 3 minutes.
- The spinach should be barely wilted and still bright. Efo riro is a stew with greens in it rather than a pot of boiled greens.
- Serve with pounded yam, amala or plain rice.
Technique
- Iru, fermented locust bean, is bought ready-made and is the flavour that makes this unmistakably Yoruba.
- Squeeze the greens dry. Wet spinach thins the stew you have just spent an hour thickening.
- Assorted meat is the point. The variety of textures is as much the dish as the greens are.
Substitutions
- Frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed extremely dry.
- Ground dried shrimp in place of crayfish.
- Groundnut oil if palm oil is unavailable, accepting that it is a different dish.
Variations
- With smoked turkey or goat.
- Made vegetarian with mushrooms and extra iru.
- With ugu or kale instead of spinach.
History
A Yoruba stew of shoko or spinach cooked in palm oil with fermented locust bean, assorted meats and dried fish.
Frequently asked questions
What is Efo riro?
Efo riro is a soup & stew from Nigeria: yoruba spinach stew in palm oil with locust bean and assorted meat. A Yoruba stew of shoko or spinach cooked in palm oil with fermented locust bean, assorted meats and dried fish.
How long does Efo riro take to make?
Efo riro takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Efo riro?
Yes, within limits. Frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed extremely dry. Ground dried shrimp in place of crayfish. Groundnut oil if palm oil is unavailable, accepting that it is a different dish.
What is the most important thing to get right in Efo riro?
Reduce the pepper blend before it meets the oil. Raw blended pepper carries a great deal of water, and adding it wet gives a thin sour stew rather than a thick one.
