EFO-RIRO (vegetable stew)

Efo-riro (Vegetable Stew) is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic stew of meat and greens with seafood in a tomato and chilli-based sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Efo-riro (Vegetable Stew).

Efo-riro
(Vegetable Stew) Recipe
Origin: Nigeria Period: Traditional

This is a Yoruba speciality made with a mix of assorted meats in combination with the native vegetables Soko or Tete.

Ingredients:
1 kg fresh soko or tete (washed & blanched) [These plants are members of the Celosia genus and are readily available as garden plants, feather cockscomb Celosia argentea (soko) is the commonest. Alternatively you can substitute Amaranth leaves (they are members of the amaranth family after all) if you have them. However, they taste quite like spinach and this can be substituted at a pinch.]
500g assorted parts of meat [cubed meat, offal, tripe etc] (washed)
225g stockfish (pre-soaked)
1 medium smoked fish
225g bushmeat (washed) [or game]
225g cooked crab claws
4 snails (shelled and washed with lemon juice) [or 8 garden snails
225g ground crayfish
225g fresh chillies, pounded to a paste
500g fresh tomatoes, pounded to a paste
1 small tin tomato purée
2 medium onions, pounded to a paste
190ml palm oil
1 tsp iru (this is a condiment made by fermenting locust beans (carob) — omit if not available)
600ml stock or water
salt to taste


Efo-riro
(Vegetable Stew) Preparation:


Method:
Add the washed meats to a large pot and add a little of the stock. Season well with salt and freshly-ground black pepper then bring to a boil and simmer briskly for 30 minutes, or until tender. Add the smoked fish, stockfish, crab claws and snails and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a clean bowl. Clean the pot and add the palm oil. Place the pot on the heat and and once the oil is hot add the ground tomatoes, onions and chillies and fry for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomato purée and cook for a further five minutes, until well blended. Return the cooked meats to the pot, along with the crayfish and a little more stock. Simmer for 10 minutes then add the blanched soko (or amaranth leaves or spinach) and cook for a further five minutes. Check the seasoning and serve with lyan (pounded yam).