EFO RIRO A YORUBA DELICACY

This personally is one of my favorite dishes. Not only is it nutritional, it’s also very delicious. Spinach is very high in calcium iron and vitamins C, E and K. It also is a good source of folio acid calcium which is all exceptionally good for our bodies. There are different types of spinach which can be cooked in all ways and forms. This is my mum’s recipe, she also loved the way I cooked it and would always ask me to make it this exact same way. So this really is a tribute to my mummy.

Efo Riro is a rich vegetable soup that is native to the Yoruba’s of Western Nigeria. The vegetables that can be used to cook this soup are water leaves and pumpkin leaves.

Here are some ingredients for preparing Efo Riro:-

• Assorted meat and fish. For my Efo Riro, I used:

·         Beef

·         Shaki (cow tripe)

·         Assorted cow intestines

·         Smoked fish

·         Stock fish

                        20 cl palm oil

                        Spinach

                        2 tablespoon of grounded crayfish

                        1 medium onion

                        3 big stock cubes (spinach needs more seasoning)

Salt & Habanero/scotch bonnet pepper (to taste)

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Other meats you can add to Efo Riro:

The more the variety of meats and fish you can add to Efo Riro, the better so feel free to add: snails and bush meat etc.

Preparation before cooking

1. Soak the stock-fish and dry fish for a few hours. The length of time depends on how hard the stock fish is. Mine soaks in less than 1 hour. When soft, clean the fish with salt, remove the bones and separate them into small pieces.
2. Cut the spinach and wash it with salt.
3. Prepare other ingredients: pound/blitz the pepper, cut the onions and grind the crayfish.

Cooking Directions:

1. Start cooking the shaki first with as little water as possible (see video below) as it is the toughest meat in the bunch. This soup should have as little water as possible so add small amounts of water at a time and top it up as you cook.
2. When the shaki starts to curl, add the dry fish and stock-fish.
3. When the shaki is almost done, add beef, stock cubes and onions and cook till all the meat and fish are well done.
4. Top up the water to about half the contents of the pot. Add the crayfish, smoked fish, pepper and palm oil.
5. Cover the pot and cook at high heat till the oil has changed from red to yellow.
6. Add the spinach or any other soft vegetable: pumpkin, water leaves etc.
7. Cover and cook still it gets a good boil, taking care not to overcook the vegetables. Add salt to taste and leave to simmer for 2 more minutes.

Serve Efo Riro with Semolina, Amala, Pounded Yam, Eba or any other fufu meal.