“Efo riro” is a Yoruba word which 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.
Nigerian Vegetable Soup “Efo riro” Recipe
- Prep time: 15mins
- Cook time: 1 hr 10 minutes
- Total time: 1 hr 25minutes
Ingredients:::
- 1 medium sized Stock Fish “Panla” a.ka. Okporoko
- 3 Smoked Fish
- 600g Red Beef meat (Cut into chunks)
- 5 Red scotch bonnet pepper (Ata rodo)
- 2 Red Capsicums (Red Bell pepper a.k.a Tatashey)
- 4 Chili pepper a.k.a Shombo
- 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 cubes, Crushed
- 1 tsp. Curry powder
- ½ tsp. Thyme
- Salt to taste
- 3 bunches of Shoko yokoto leaves or Green (Efo tete) – Chopped
Directions:::
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 Stockfish in hot water for 10 mins and rinse with cold water. Shred it with your fingers and set aside
Step 2: Remove the bones from the smoked fish, wash and set aside.
ICYMI: The easy way to make Nigerian cow leg (Bokoto) pepper soup recipe
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 Stockfish (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 into 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.
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, Yam or rice.
Source: Dobbyssignature
