How to Make Efo Riro
Ingredient Highlights and Tips
Spinach: While I used raw spinach in this recipe, feel free to substitute it with any or a mix of your favorite green leafy vegetables such as red or green amaranth or fruited pumpkin leaves mentioned prior, kale or collard greens. If you are using frozen spinach, make sure to thaw out the spinach over a colander to allow the water from the spinach to drain before adding it to the stew.
Tomatoes: While a feature of this dish, tomatoes can easily be removed from the recipe if for you don’t prefer them. I tend to have a preference for the slightly sweet and sour flavor that tomato adds to this dish but many native versions of this recipe typically don’t include them so you can be sure it will turn out great nonetheless. If you do include them, I recommend roma or plum tomatoes as the commonly preferred choice for stews and sauces.
Powdered Dried Shrimp: This is a great substitute for crayfish which is what is natively used. You can commonly find dried shrimp in your neighborhood Asian markets or stores. These shrimp can be pulverized using a blender or food processor to create a nice seafood seasoning powder commonly used in many Nigerian and West African soups and stews. Feel free to substitute this with the traditional powdered dried crayfish if you can find some in an African store near you.
Palm oil: The native frying oil of choice for this soup or stew; palm oil brings that distinct, savory West African taste that is synonymous with a lot of Nigerian stews. If you are trying to cut down on saturated fats, you can definitely substitute palm oil with vegetable oil or annatto oil. While you might lose that native palm oil flavor, this vegetable soup will still taste great without it!
No bouillon cubes: You will also notice that my Efo riro recipe does not utilize or need bouillon cubes, which is one of the reasons I love this recipe so much because it highlights all the natural flavors of the ingredients without masking it with that samey taste that bouillon cubes sometimes bring to Nigerian dishes.
Blend Tomato Mixture & Saute Onions
To prep, blend half of a red onion with tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, and hot pepper. Chop the other half of the red onion. In a deep saucepan or stock pot, heat the oil and saute the onions over medium heat until its golden brown.
Cook Tomato Sauce
Add the blended pepper mix, and allow to cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid the mix from burning. After 30 minutes, the sauce should be significantly reduced, at this point season it with powdered dry shrimp and salt to taste.
If cooking with cooked red meat or chicken, add them to the sauce at this point. If using dried mushrooms, re-hydrate and add them at this point as well.
Add the fresh shrimp to the sauce, then add the spinach. At this stage, the spinach may look too much, but allow to sit in the pot for about 1 minute.
Gently stir the stew and the spinach until the spinach is wilted till about half the its original volume. Adjust the seasoning with salt to taste if necessary. At this point I added the fried tilapia, stirred and served. This stew is best served warm and freshly cooked.
Vegan or Vegetarian Substitutions
For vegan or vegetarian diets, feel free to substitute the meat with dried mushrooms for that rich umami flavor or simply omit the meat, and fish altogether! The vegetables and spices on their own lend enough spice and flavor to the stew so you will definitely not miss having meat in this soup.