• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Active Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Nigerian Recipes » Nigerian Spinach Stew (Ace Efo Riro)

    Published: Jun 3, 2015 · Modified: Jan 18, 2025 by Ajoke

    Nigerian Spinach Stew (Ace Efo Riro)

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    I called this Nigerian spinach stew ace efo riro because I added a secret ingredient to take it up a notch. Learn how to cook vegetable soup with spinach using this simple recipe 

    Efo riro with uziza

    Ace efo riro (Nigerian spinach stew): I recently fell in love with Uziza leaves and our love has kept blossoming in my kitchen. It is early days but I think you can guess by now that I added uziza leaves to this ace efo riro (Nigerian spinach stew). Well I did, and I have no regrets. Efo riro is for us the Yoruba's and as a proud Yoruba gal I am allowed to brag and I can tell you, I know how to cook delicious efo riro. For this ace efo riro, I used a mixture of green, red and yellow pepper. It wasn’t planned but I decided to use it at the last minute.

    I don’t know of any rule that says only red bell peppers and scotch bonnet chillies (ata rodo) are allowed to make efo riro (Nigerian spinach stew). Anyway, rules are meant to be broken, I also used goat meat for this ace efo riro and you know goat meat is ace in most dishes and with the uziza added, it made it extra special. Don't tell anyone I told you this but if you have pepper mix that contains tomatoes, you can, by all means, use it to cook this vegetable soup.

    Last February, I posted another variation of efo riro using kale leaves. The only changes I made to this recipe are that I used a different kind of meat, yellow bell pepper and added uziza leaves.  If you have been cooking your efo riro like I did mine, I recommend you take it a notch further and add uziza leaves to the next one you cook. If uziza is not readily available where you are, substitute with basil (efinrin/scent leaf).

    angled shot of efo riro in a brown ceramic bowl placed on a napkin

    Ingredients

    500g Spinach  (use efo shoko, tete, spring greens or kale if in diasporas)

    1-2 handful of uziza leaves, chopped

    1 large red bell pepper (tatashe)

    1 green bell pepper

    1 yellow bell pepper

    2-3 yellow scotch bonnet chilli

    2 onions (half chopped)

    3tbsp Iru woro (locust beans)

    1 agbodo, washed (dried tilapia fish)

    Dried shrimps

    300g goat meat

    3tbsp ground crayfish

    Seasoning (bouillon cube)

    300g ponmo and shaki

    salt

    Smoked mackerel fillets

    2-3 cooking spoon palm oil

    A close shot of efo riro (spinach stew) in a brown ceramic bowl

    How to make efo riro (Nigerian spinach stew)

    Rinse the bell peppers, scotch bonnet, and one onion thoroughly, then blend them in a blender or food processor. Use the pulse setting to achieve a coarse consistency.

    Pour the pepper into a pot and place on medium-low heat. Gently simmer the pepper mix until the liquid reduces. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out.

    images collage with the process showing bell peppers being blended in a food processor

    Heat the palm oil in a skillet on medium-low heat until hot. Add chopped onions and locust beans and saute until the onion is translucent and both the locust bean and onions are fragrant

    Reduce the heat, then stir in boiled pepper mix to hot palm oil (be mindful of hot palm oil). Add crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt to taste.

    process shot of of how to fry stew for spinach stew

    Add chopped assorted beef, shaki, ponmo and dried bonga fish and stir to combine. Keep stirring intermittently to avoid it burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

    Add the washed chopped spinach and uziza into the pepper sauce and stir to combine.

    process shot of how to cook nigerian spinach stew. four images

    Add the shredded smoked mackerel and carefully fold it into the vegetable so that it doesn't break too much.

    Cook for another 3-5 minutes or just until wilted. Try not to overcook the vegetable. You still want it to retain its bright green color for better nutrition and looks.

    Take it off the heat and serve with eba, tuwo shinkafa, fufu, amala or any other swallow of choice or even rice. enjoy

    overhead shot of nigerian spinach stew
    Print Recipe
    No ratings yet

    Nigerian Spinach Stew

    I called this Nigerian spinach stew ace efo riro because I added a secret ingredient to take it up a notch. Learn how to cook Nigerian vegetable soup with spinach using this simple recipe 
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Nigerian
    Keyword: nigerian spinach stew, spinach vegetable soup
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ajoke

    Ingredients

    • 500 g Spinach chopped
    • ¾ cup palm oil
    • 1 cup uziza leaves chopped
    • 3 large tatashe I used red, green and yellow bell peppers
    • 2 yellow scotch bonnet or as needed
    • 2 medium onions half chopped
    • 3 Tablespoons Iru woro locust beans
    • 1 dried bonga fish carefully broken into smaller pieces
    • ½ cup dried shrimps
    • 300 g goat meat boiled and chopped in bite sizes
    • 3 tbsp ground crayfish
    • Bouillon cube use to taste (see note)
    • 150 g ponmo boiled and chopped to bite sizes
    • 150 g shaki (tripe) boiled and chopped to bite sizes
    • 200 g Smoked mackerel fillets
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Rinse the bell peppers, scotch bonnet, and one onion thoroughly, then blend them in a blender or food processor. Use the pulse setting to achieve a coarse consistency.
    • Pour the pepper into a pot and place on medium-low heat. Gently simmer the pepper mix until the liquid reduces. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out.
    • Heat the palm oil in a skillet on medium-low heat until hot. Add chopped onions and locust beans and saute until the onion is translucent and both the locust bean and onions are fragrant
    • Reduce the heat, then stir in boiled pepper mix to hot palm oil (be mindful of hot palm oil) Add crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt to taste.
      Add chopped assorted beef, shaki, ponmo and dried bonga fish and stir to combine.
    • Keep stirring intermittently to avoid it burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
      Continue to cook on medium-low heat until the oil floats on top of the sauce (This should be for about 7-10 minutes)
    • Add the washed chopped spinach and uziza into the pepper sauce and stir to combine.
    • Add the shredded smoked mackerel and carefully fold it into the vegetable so that it doesn't break too much.
    • Cook for another 3-5 minutes or just until wilted. Try not to overcook the vegetable. You still want it to retain its bright green color for better nutrition and looks.
    • Take it off the heat and serve with eba, tuwo shinkafa, amala or any other swallow of choice or even rice. enjoy

    Notes

    Note: fresh spinach will wilt and seep out water this will not ruin the dish as it will mostly dry off as you cook for the next 3-5 minutes.
    If I use knorr cubs and the likes to season my food, I usually start with 1 cube. I then taste the food and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

    If you made this ace efo riro (Nigerian spinach stew), don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me on Instagram, Facebook and save away to your Pinterest

    « Sausage Roll
    Plantain Bites »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. George says

      September 28, 2015 at 8:14 am

      Wonderful

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        September 28, 2015 at 10:59 am

        Thank you George

        Reply
    2. Tolulope says

      July 24, 2015 at 10:52 pm

      Who wouldn't want to try this recipe?? I wish I lived right next door to you Ajoke, your delicacies sure do water my appetite......You are doing a great job. Welldone babe.......

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        July 26, 2015 at 11:45 pm

        I would gladly have you as my neighbour, lol thanks Tolulope

        Reply
    3. Takiyah says

      June 28, 2015 at 4:36 pm

      Looks incredible! How much does this receipe make?

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        June 28, 2015 at 6:24 pm

        Thanks Takiyah, it should feed about 6-8 adults

        Reply
    4. LA says

      June 07, 2015 at 1:06 pm

      Love it.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        June 11, 2015 at 5:00 pm

        Thank you LA

        Reply
    5. Haneefa says

      June 07, 2015 at 1:05 pm

      Ajoke, this is lovely. looking at the pictures alone has filled me up, I can't wait to try this.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        June 11, 2015 at 5:03 pm

        Thanks a lot Haneefa. I hope you would be back for more

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Copyright © 2025 My Active Kitchen on the Brunch Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required