Today I made Efo Riro which is one of my favorite vegetable soups. “Efo riro” is a Yoruba word that simply means “Vegetable soup” and it’s enjoyed by many. This is because it’s really versatile and could be eaten with meals such as Rice, Yam and any type of Swallow. When I got to the market to buy the ingredients for cooking this meal, I actually got so confused when it came to choosing which Leaf to use for the soup. There were Various options Such as Shokoyokoto, Efo tete “Green Amaranth” popularly Known as green e.t.c (View leafy vegetables). It’s almost the same as Edikaikong Soup but with a huge difference probably due to the method of preparation and Ingredients used. Then the Iru……Sweet lord!!!, this made this dish simply irresistible. No wonder the whole pot of soup got finished before I could say Jack Robinson!!!
• 1 medium-sized Stock Fish “Panla” a.k.a. Okporoko
• 3 Smoked Fish
• 3 Red onion (Dice two, leave 1 whole to blend with the pepper puree)
• 5 Cooking Spoons Palmoil
• 3 Heaped tbsp. Locust beans (Iru)
• 1 cooking spoon Crayfish, Ground
• 4 Seasoning cube, Crushed
• Salt to taste
Preparation of the soup stock
For soup stock any type of meat such as Goat meat, Cow Intestines “Roundabout”, Tripe a.k.a Sharki , Cow Liver, Smoked Cow skin “Pomo“, Chicken, Cow meat and Fish Can be used but for this I used only Smoked Fish, Stock fish ( Panla / okporoko) and Cow Beef (Red meat). So here goes…………….
Step 1: Soak the Stock fish in hot water for 10 mins and rinse with cold water. Shred it with your fingers and set aside
Step 3: Wash the Cow beef thoroughly with water and place in a medium sized pot. Add two seasoning cubes, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp curry, ½ tsp thyme, diced onion, 2 cups water and leave to cook on medium heat. 25 mins into the cook time, add the Smoked fish and Stock fish (Should be soft by now) – leave to cook for 10 mins more. The water left should be minimal by now. Turn off the burner and Set Aside.
Step 4: Chop the shoko leaves with a knife and place in a bowl. Add about ½ teaspoon of salt, pour boiling water over it and place a lid over the bowl. Allow to rest for 15-20mins. Rinse out the shoko and squeeze out all excess water.
Preparation of the pepper puree
Step 1 : Thoroughly Wash the scotch bonnets (Ata rodo), Red bell pepper a.k.a Tatashey (Remove the seeds cos it’s usually bitter), Chilies, 1 Red Onion (optional).
Step 2: Place in a grinding machine and blend. Pour the blend in a small pot and cook till there’s no liquid left. Turn off the burner and set aside.
The main soup preparation
Step 1: In an empty pot, add 5 Cooking spoons of palm oil and leave to heat for about 2mins.
Step 2: Add the chopped onion, Pepper puree and Iru (Locust beans) – Stir fry for 4 mins.
( errrmm!!! Ensure your kitchen is aerated :D)
Step 3: Gently add the soup stock including the meat and fish, 2 seasoning cubes, Crayfish and leave for 6 mins.
Step 4: Add the chopped Shoko or spinach leaves and stir to incorporate the mixture. Leave to cook for 8 mins. Turn off the burner and leave the pot open to let out steam.
Serve with any form of Swallow, Yamor rice.
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| “Efo riro” Vegetable soup with Yellow Garri “Swallow” |
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59 comments
Hello Dobby. Will the pepper be blended to a smooth paste?
Yummy…
i love ur style of cookn eforiro. I tot u can only use shoko. Knws beta nw!
i love this! I tot it is only shoko dat is used to prepare it
Can i add bitterleaf with ugwu? I've actually never tried it before. I usually use ugwu alone but i would love to use it since there's a bitter leaf tree in my compound
Bookmarked already! Sooooo making it 2day,#hugs#
pls dnt add bitter leaf o. Dis is eforirio. Nt bitter leaf soup! Rather add shoko leaves.
Hi Anon,
Pureeing the pepper smooth or rough is really a matter of choice. if you don't like seeing chunks of pepper in your meal, it's best you blend till smooth.
Thanks Anon!
Thanks Anon!
**Hugs :)** Do let us know how it goes.
@toinlicious: I agree with Anon 16:30, Bitter leaf is a definite No No!
lovely
you have to share how u roll your swallows like that oh LOL
lol! i guess i'd have to do a post then.
Thanks Tessy 🙂
Have been following ur blog for some time now. Nice work. I love ur clear pictures nd d fact dt u beautify ur food. Waiting impatiently for a post on how u roll eba
Nice one dobby, preparing this today.
Pls did you pound the iru?
Thanks Spaniard. Still working on the post on how to roll swallow.
Thanks Amy. I just washed and added the Iru during the preparation.
Ok. Thanks.
I love dobby. No homo. She gives me a reason to want to cook. Dear future husband watch out. Ure in for d satisfaction of ur tummy for life. Lol
Awww!!! Love you too Anon 😀
Seconded. Please Dobby teach us
Dobby when are u dropping d eba rolling tutorial? Nd is ugwu not too tough for efo riro,nd y boil d pepper wen dere is no tomatoes in it
You've not forgotten the eba rolling tutorial….lol! Would make out time to do that, Been so preoccupied. No the ugwu isn't tough for efo riro at all especially since it's being combined with green. Infact Once you are done, it'd end up being soft. I used a blender to puree the pepper and that requires water and boiling the pepper is to ensure whatever water i must have added evaporates. if you grind the pepper without a blender i.e with a grinding stone, the boiling step wouldn't be necessary.
Your vegetable soup looks so delicious. I don't remember my mother or grandmother ever making anything other than the cream based Boston version. I know I would enjoy this lighter version and I'm so curious to try it.
You'd definitely enjoy this version. Do let us know how it goes 🙂
Awww, looks yummy. Making ds 2mao. Did u use ugwu n waterleaf alone or wt d combo of tete?
D eba rolling tutorial pls….
Thanks Anon. yes i used just ugwu and water leaf alone. Here's the tutorial for rolling eba >>>>Eba rolling tutorial HERE
Dobby,u are great,when I cooked d stew using water leaf in my mother's absence,she kept asking if I was d one dat prepared it until my brother had to testify over and over again cos I was never a good cook.Thanks to u Dobby for making me one! I can't stop loving u dear.
luv you too boo….Thanks for the feedback 😉
Nice concept D
Thanks Andy 🙂
i stay in warii,dont no wat is locust beans and scotch bonnet
i stay in warii,dont no wat is locust beans and scotch bonnet
Locust beans 'Irú' is a type of fermented condiment used in cooking local dishes and it is extremely popular amongst the yoruba people.
Its use is similar to the ogiri used by the easterners. It is
used in cooking traditional soups like egusi soup, okro soup and ogbono soup. The yorubas use the fresh fermented type while the northerners use the dried flattened type which is known as dawadawa. Scotch bonnets are small red peppers and they are the most common type of pepper found in the local nigerian market.
I tried this recipe but I used Green, Ugu leaf and sent leaf (nchuanwu) and OMG it turned out perfect. Used it with my basmatti and it was awesome and delicious. Please do you have the recipe for afang soup or Okazi soup?
Yaayy!!! Thanks for the feedback ivy. Currently i'm working on a post on okazi/afang soup, it'd be up soon.
pls, what if i wann' add egusi? How'l it go?
it wouldn't be "efo riro" any more 🙂
Thanks Dobby..but I rili don't understand what we are blending.. Just pepper and tatashe? Or plus tomatoes? Or tomatoes is totally out of the meal?
Yes, No tomatoes….Just pepper & tatashe. Tomatoes makes the soup soggy and changes the taste.
I love ur posts Dobby. Pls is the water leaf efo tete in yoruba?
Hi purple, no it's not. Waterleaf is "Gbure"…efo tete is "Green"
your site is very useful for me its give me many recipes i try your some recipes now i become good chef am thankful to you for learning me.am very expert in desserts recipes like zarda recipe making chocolate etc. again thanks to you.i appreciate your work you are doing good job keep it up and sharing with us new and easy dishes.
You're welcome
Hi Dobby. Thank you for posting this recipe. I plan on trying it this weekend but just have a few questions.
What exactly is a “cooking spoon”? What is its equivalent in terms of tablespoon, teaspoon, etc., or is it something I can buy separately at the market? Do you throw away the water used to soak the stock fish or should it be added to the recipe? Finally, what brand seasoning cube do you use and what flavor is the cube for this recipe (chicken, beef, etc.)?
Hi anon, cooking spoon is the large spoon used in cooking or dishing out food. It could be about 5-10 tbsp. depending on the size you buy. it's sold in the market. Yes you throw away the water used i soaking the fish. i use any brand and flavor but mostly knorr or maggi.
Hello again. I am just seeing your response. Thank you very much!
You're welcome Anon.
Hi Dobby,thanks for making this place amazing.Am trying to make this dish for my Nigerian friends (Am in Ghana) but am I little confused.You stated in the recipe that you used shoko yokoto but am reading here that ugwu is part,am I supposed to add that too??
Hello Dobby,thank you for making this place amazing,am trying to make this dish for my Nigerian friends (Am in Ghana),.In the recipe,you stated shoko yokoto but just read here that you added ugwu,am I to add that too???😕
Hello Dobby,your site is amazing,please am trying to make this dish for my Nigerian friends (Am in Ghana) and am confused a little,you stated in the recipe that you used shoko yokoto but then here you are saying you added ugwu,should I add that too ?????
Hi farida. The major leaf used for efo riro (Yoruba style vegetable soup) is shoko yokoto but if you don't find that around you could use ugu & water leaf (Efik style vegetable soup). It'd still come out fine.
Thanks soo much it helped I used ugu and waterleaf so ready to consume…Lol *kissese*
You're welcome Blessing 🙂
Hi Dobby, nice work and well done. Pls i want to ask if the Shoko leaves can be wash with hot water before adding it to the soup, because they say is usually bitter?
I have never had a soup like this…it looks hearty, comforting and very tasty. Techlazy.com Crazyask.com Howmate.com