How to Prepare Tasty Efo riro (Vegetable soup)

How to Prepare Tasty Efo riro (Vegetable soup) Delicious, fresh and tasty.

Efo riro (Vegetable soup). Efo Riro is a rich vegetable soup that is native to the Yorubas of Western Nigeria. The vegetables that can be used to cook this soup are Efo Shoko or Efo Tete (Green Amaranth). If these are not readily available where you live, leafy or frozen spinach is a very good substitute.

If you scroll down a little, you will find a deliciously made plate of efo riro, as served with fufu - it was delicious 😉 Spice up your lunch or dinner with this delectable vegetable soup (efo riro).

So refreshing, easy-to-cook and packed with assorted nutritious vegetables that are highly essential for the well-being of your body.

Give the recipe a try and you will be glad you did.

You can have Efo riro (Vegetable soup) using 12 ingredients and 10 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Efo riro (Vegetable soup)

1. You need 2 bunches of shoko leaves.

2. Prepare 1/2 of kilogramme of chicken.

3. You need 2 of medium sized tomatoes.

4. You need 8 of bell peppers (use the quantity you're comfortable with).

5. It’s 1 table spoon of grounded crayfish.

6. It’s 1 of medium sized onion.

7. You need 2/3 cup of palm oil.

8. It’s of smoked titus fish or any kind of fish you prefer.

9. Prepare of pomo.

10. You need of salt.

11. Prepare cubes of seasoning.

12. You need of locust bean.

Efo riro (vegetable soup) is also excellent with rice, agidi / eko (corn paste pudding), yam, plantain etc.

It is a very versatile soup just like most Nigerian vegetable soups, like the Nigerian vegetable soup, Edikang ikong, Afang etc, they can be eaten with a variety of other dishes.

Efo Riro is a traditional Vegetable Soup of the Yoruba Tribe in Nigeria.

It is well known for its savory taste and richness.

Efo riro (Vegetable soup) instructions

1. Wash your chicken, tomatoes, pepper, onion, pomo, deboned smoked fish, skoko leaves and rinse your locust beans in case it has sand in it.

2. Blend the tomatoes and peppers separately. The tomatoes should be smoothly blended but not the peppers. Set aside..

3. Dice the pomo and onions. Set aside.

4. Slice the shoko leaves, put in a bowl then pour some hot water into it. Leave for 5 minutes before rinsing it out with cold water. Ensure you squeeze out all the excess water in it. Set aside..

5. Cook your chicken. Season with salt, pepper, onion and seasoning cubes. When it is cooked, bring the chicken out of the stock, pour out some of the stock which youthe use for cooking and use the rest of it to cook your pomo..

6. Place another pot on the cooker, pour in your palm oil. Allow to heat up for a few seconds. Season your oil with salt and seasoning cube, add your diced onions. Allow to cook for 30 seconds..

7. Pour in your blended pepper. Allow to cook for a little while. Add your blended tomatoes, grounded crayfish and locust bean. Allow to cook until almost dry..

8. Add your chicken stock, pomo and chicken. Taste to know if theres need to add salt or seasoning. When this sauce is dried i.e there's no visible water in it..

9. Add your shoko leaves and stir properly​..

10. Finally, add your smoked fish and stir gently. Food is ready!.

It is actually the Yoruba version of the Efik's Edikang Ikong Soup, but with a big twist ☺.

Efo riro as this vegetable soup is natively called in Yoruba literally translates to 'vegetable stir ' (where 'efo' translates to 'vegetable' and 'riro' translates to 'stir') and is indicative of how this soup is traditionally made.

While it is natively called a vegetable soup, the style of preparation has more in common.

Efo Riro is a Yoruba word and it loosely means 'stirred spinach'.

In Nigeria, the vegetables used for Efo Riro are 'Efo Shoko' (Lagos spinach) or 'Efo Tete' (African spinach).