Published: · Modified: by Jen Sim · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Ever wondered how to make efo riro? This delicious dish is filled with flavour! By combining tomatoes, spinach, meat, peppers, and fish, you’ll get a little bit of everything on your plate – and you’ll probably want to go for seconds!
Table of Contents
Efo Riro Tomato
Efo riro aka Nigerian spinach stew is a leafy, meaty meal from Yorubaland and is a product of the Yoruba people in Western Nigeria. It uses a bunch of local ingredients to make a mouthwatering, savory and tasty stew.
Our recipe below calls for assorted meat. If you are looking to customize your meal, you can choose what kind of meat you want to add. The typical meat involved in efo riro includes chicken, shaki, pomo, as well as beef or lamb. Mackerel, shrimp and crayfish are usually added as well.
Make sure you get plenty of red root spinach for this recipe, as the spinach is, of course, the main star of the dish! Not only is it rich in iron and B vitamins, but it is one of the healthiest leafy greens in the world. Plus, it absorbs flavors when cooked with other ingredients, giving it the perfect taste and texture that makes this dish blend so well.
Efo Riro Ingredients
- Blended pepper mix - Efo riro has a tomato base. To make this base add 1 can of plum tomatoes, 1 yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper and 1-2 scotch bonnets to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Red root spinach - Use four bunches of fresh red root spinach. To prepare the spinach chop the spinach and remove the roots. Then, add spinach to a large bowl, rinse with cold water and transfer the spinach to another bowl. You should see some dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you wash the spinach thoroughly at least 3 times (it is important to wash the spinach because it can be quite dirty) . After washing the spinach pour boiling hot water over the spinach and drain after 5 minutes. The spinach is now ready to be added to the stew.
Flavour
When it comes to adding flavor to efo riro you have 3 options. I like to add a little bit of each ingredient to create a rich delicious flavor. However, you can use you can one or two of the ingredients below as long as you adjust the proportion and taste as you go.
- Iru - Is a type of fermented, processedlocust bean. It is used to flavour food and is popular among theYoruba andEdo peopleofNigeria. It is used to cook traditionalsoupslikeegusi soup, okro soup,Ewedu soupandogbono soup. You will need about 1-2 tablespoon of iru for this recipe. Make sure you rinse the iru before using it. I buy frozen iru from my local African supermarket.
- Maggi - This is a popular chicken stock seasoning used in African cooking. There are different types but my favourite is Knorr chicken stock seasoning. Add 1-2 cubes to this recipe.
- Chicken stock - Add ¼-1/2 a cup of chicken stock for more flavour! You can make your own chicken stock by reserving the water from the pot after part-boiling the chicken.
Meat and Fish Additions
- Assorted meat - Here are some additions that my family loves to add: chicken, beef, pomo and shaki. Whichever type of protein you choose, you want to make sure that your meat is soft and tender. The best way to do this is by precooking your proteins before you start cooking the stew. I normally wash the meat first, then par-boil it with salt, onions, thyme, and chicken stock cubes for flavor (optional). Then, I finish cooking the meat in the oven. Once the meat is fully cooked, it will be tender and deeply flavorful. At this point, you can stir it into your stew, along with the vegetables and other seasonings. You can also fry the meat after part boiling but this is less healthy.
- Fish/seafood - You have a few options. Add roasted mackerel, large shrimp or panla.
- Palm oil - Palm oil comes from the fruit ofoil palmtrees. It is extracted by squeezing the fleshy fruit, andpalmkerneloilwhich comes from crushing the kernel, or the stone in the middle of the fruit. Palm oil is traditionally used to make efo riro.
How to Select the Best Red Root Spinach for the Efo Riro Recipe
Select spinach that is green with fresh leaves. Avoid spinach that is wilted or bruised.
How to Make Efo Riro
- In a blender, add 1-2 scotch bonnets, 1 red bell pepper, 1 large onion, and 1 can of plum tomatoes and blend together until thoroughly mixed.
2. In a large saucepan, add palm oil to cover the base. Once the oil is hot, add the iru then, pour in the blended tomato mixture and bring it to a boil. Add salt to taste, 1 maggi cube and stir. Let it cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes
3. Then, add pre-cooked assorted meat (or any meat combination of your choice) to the stew and let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.
4. Finally, add 4 bunches of spinach and lower the heat to a simmer. After 5 minutes add ½ a cup of shrimp and ¼ cup of roasted mackerel and let it all cook for another 7-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Efo Riro?
Efo riro can be served with different swallows like pounded yam, eba, amala and more. Traditionally, people eat swallow using their hands but you can also use a fork instead. Efo riro with rice is also a delicious dinner option.
Alternatives
You can also add a bunch or two of ugwu or bitter leaf to efo riro. Ugwu and bitter leaves have a stronger bitter flavor which can taste delicious alongside the red root.
Alter the heat of this recipe by adding more scotch bonnets. If you want to decrease the heat then use ½ a scotch bonnet.
Storage Options
Store leftover efo riro in the fridge for up to a week in an air-tight container. If you want it to last even longer, you can put it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQS
What is the English name for EFO RIRO?
The word "efo" translates to leafy greens or different types of spinach. While "riro" means to stir. There is no direct English translation for efo riro but it can be referred to as stewed spinach in English.
What is spinach called in Nigeria?
There are three main tribes in Nigeria and they all speak different languages. In Yorubaland spinach is referred to as efo. Whereas spinach is called nchanwu inIgbo. The Hausa tribe calls spinach alayyafo.
What is EFO Elegusi?
Efo elegusi is a variation of efo riro. It usually includes palm oil, blended red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, red root spinach, grounded melon seeds and assorted meat. Efo elegusi has a green and golden-yellow appearance. The green comes from the spinach and the golden-yellow comes from the grounded melon seeds. Efo elegusi can be served with pounded yam, eba, ground rice or rice.
Is waterleaf the same as spinach?
No, it is not. Waterleaf is known as gbure in Yoruba. It grows freely as a weed and it costs next to nothing in West Africa so it is easily affordable for everyone. It can be cooked on its own or with egusi.
Thanks for reading this recipe,comment below if you made this and let me know how it went! Follow@simshomekitchenonInstagram, take a photo, tag and hashtag it with @simshomekitchen.
Stay connected and follow me for more recipes onFacebook,Pinterest, andInstagramfor all of my latest recipes!
Efo Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew Recipe)
Jen Sim
Ever wondered how to make efo riro? This delicious dish is filled with flavour! By combining tomatoes, spinach, meat, peppers, and fish, you’ll get a little bit of everything on your plate – and you’ll probably want to go for seconds!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Nigerian
Keyword: efo riro, spinach
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Jen Sim
Ingredients
- 1 can of plum tomatoes
- 1 red bell peppers aka tatashe pepper
- 1-2 scotch bonnets
- 1 onions
- ¼ - ¾ cup of chicken stock
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 chicken stock cubes knorr
- Precooked assorted meat beef, chicken, pomo etc (see notes)
- 4 bunches of red root spinach see notes
- ½ cup of shrimp
- ¼ cup of roasted macakrel
- Palm oil
Instructions
In a blender, add 1-2 scotch bonnets, 1 red bell pepper, 1 large onion, and 1 can of plum tomatoes and blend together until thoroughly mixed.
In a large saucepan, add palm oil to cover the base. Once the oil is hot, add iru, then pour in the blended tomato mixture and bring it to a boil. Add salt to taste, 1 maggi cube and stir. Let it cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes
Then, add pre-cooked assorted meat (or any meat combination of your choice) to the stew and let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.
Finally, add 4 bunches of spinach and lower the heat to a simmer. After 5 minutes add ½ a cup of shrimp and ¼ cup of roasted mackerel and let it all cook for another 7-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Red root spinach - Use four bunches of fresh red root spinach. To prepare the spinach chop the spinach and remove the roots. Then, add spinach to a large bowl, rinse with cold water and transfer the spinach to another bowl. You should see some dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you wash the spinach thoroughly at least 3 times (it is important to wash the spinach because it can be quite dirty) . After washing the spinach pour boiling hot water over the spinach and drain after 5 minutes. The spinach is now ready to be added to the stew.
Assorted meat - Here are some additions that my family loves to add: chicken, beef, pomo and shaki. Whichever type of protein you choose, you want to make sure that your meat is soft and tender. The best way to do this is by precooking your proteins before you start cooking the stew. I normally wash the meat first, then par-boil it with salt, onions, thyme, and chicken stock cubes for flavor (optional). Then, I finish cooking the meat in the oven. Once the meat is fully cooked, it will be tender and deeply flavorful. At this point, you can stir it into your stew, along with the vegetables and other seasonings. You can also fry the meat after part boiling but this is less healthy.
More Delicious Recipes:
- Must-Try Nigerian Food Recipes
- West African Food Recipes You Have To Try
- 50+ Vegan Desserts For Christmas
- Easy Vegan Potato Recipes
