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
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).
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
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.
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.
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, fufu, amala or any other swallow of choice or even rice. enjoy
Nigerian Spinach Stew
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
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
Wonderful
Thank you George
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.......
I would gladly have you as my neighbour, lol thanks Tolulope
Looks incredible! How much does this receipe make?
Thanks Takiyah, it should feed about 6-8 adults
Love it.
Thank you LA
Ajoke, this is lovely. looking at the pictures alone has filled me up, I can't wait to try this.
Thanks a lot Haneefa. I hope you would be back for more