Efo Riro

Name: Efo Riro
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: West African
Ingredients: For the Meat:; 400g beef (chuck, brisket, or tripe), cut into pieces; 200g stockfish (dried cod), soaked in cold water overnight until softened, drained and flaked; 150g smoked fish (mackerel, catfish, or any smoked white fish), deboned and flaked; 1/2 tsp white pepper; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 2 seasoning cubes (Maggi or Knorr); 1/2 onion, roughly chopped (for stock); For the Pepper Base:; 3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped; 2 large red bell peppers (tatashe), deseeded and roughly chopped; 3 scotch bonnet peppers (adjust to heat preference), deseeded if desired; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (for blending); For the Stew:; 120ml unrefined red palm oil; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp ground crayfish (dried shrimp powder); 1 tbsp fermented locust beans (iru/dawadawa — optional but deeply authentic); 2 seasoning cubes; 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste; For the Greens:; 500g fresh spinach, washed, tough stems removed, roughly shredded; OR 300g African spinach (soko yokoto or efo tete) from Nigerian grocery stores

A bold, silky Yoruba spinach stew built on a base of blended peppers and palm oil, loaded with assorted meats, smoked fish, and fermented locust beans. Where egusi soup is thick and dense, efo riro is glossy and lush — the green of the spinach vivid against the orange-red of the palm oil base. Eaten with pounded yam, amala, or rice.

⏱30 min prep 🔥50 min cook ⏰80 min total 🍽6 servings 📊medium

The Cultural Story

Efo riro means, in Yoruba, "stirred leafy greens" — and this translation both describes and undersells it. The name refers to the technique: the spinach (efo, in Yoruba) is stirred (riro) into a fully built pepper-and-oil base at the very end of cooking, preserving its color and freshness while allowing it to wilt into the sauce without losing its structure. But to call efo riro simply "stirred greens" is like calling jollof rice "stirred tomato rice." The name contains the technique, not the soul. Efo riro is the premier leafy green stew of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria — Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oyo State. It is the stew that appears at Sunday lunches, at parties, at the center of the rice-and-stew pairing that every Lagos household maintains. Where egusi soup is associated with Igbo and cross-River cooking, efo riro is Yoruba through and through. The spice base uses blended tomatoes, tatashe (red bell peppers), and scotch bonnet — a combination that is distinctly Yoruba in its balance of sweetness and heat. The leafy green is historically the West African spinach called soko yokoto (Celosia argentea) or efo tete (Amaranthus hybridus) — dark-leafed, slightly bitter, available at Nigerian grocery stores. In the diaspora, fresh spinach or a combination of spinach and a small amount of Swiss chard makes an excellent substitute. The bitterness of the traditional green is part of the appeal — it cuts through the richness of the palm oil and the depth of the stockfish and assorted meats. The protein load in efo riro is what distinguishes it from simpler leafy green stews. Assorted meats (a combination of beef, tripe, and goat, each separately seasoned and cooked), stockfish soaked until yielding, smoked dried fish for depth, and ground crayfish for seasoning — all of these are standard. Fermented locust beans (dawadawa or iru) add a pungent, miso-like umami hit that some cooks consider optional but most Yoruba cooks consider essential. The stew is made deliberately generous with protein — it should feel abundant, like something prepared with care and intention for people worth feeding well.

Ingredients

For the Meat:
400g beef (chuck, brisket, or tripe), cut into pieces
200g stockfish (dried cod), soaked in cold water overnight until softened, drained and flaked
150g smoked fish (mackerel, catfish, or any smoked white fish), deboned and flaked
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 seasoning cubes (Maggi or Knorr)
1/2 onion, roughly chopped (for stock)
For the Pepper Base:
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 large red bell peppers (tatashe), deseeded and roughly chopped
3 scotch bonnet peppers (adjust to heat preference), deseeded if desired
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (for blending)
For the Stew:
120ml unrefined red palm oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp ground crayfish (dried shrimp powder)
1 tbsp fermented locust beans (iru/dawadawa — optional but deeply authentic)
2 seasoning cubes
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
For the Greens:
500g fresh spinach, washed, tough stems removed, roughly shredded
OR 300g African spinach (soko yokoto or efo tete) from Nigerian grocery stores

Instructions

1Cook the beef: Season beef pieces with white pepper, ground ginger, one seasoning cube, and a pinch of salt. Add the chopped onion and barely enough water to cover. Cook on medium heat for 30–40 minutes until tender. Reserve all stock. If using stockfish, add the soaked and drained pieces to the beef for the last 15 minutes of cooking.
2Blend the pepper base: In a blender, combine tomatoes, red bell peppers, scotch bonnets, and onion. Blend to a smooth purée. The mixture will be very liquid — this is fine.
3Fry off the pepper base: Heat palm oil in a large, wide pot over medium-high heat until it melts and shimmers (about 2 minutes). Add sliced onion and fry for 5 minutes until translucent. Pour in the blended pepper mixture. It will spit and steam. Stir well. Cook, stirring every 2–3 minutes, on medium heat for 20–25 minutes until the pepper base has darkened, thickened significantly, and the oil begins to separate to the surface. This long frying is critical — it removes the raw pepper taste and builds the foundation flavor of the stew.
4Build the stew: Add the cooked beef and its stock (about 200ml) to the reduced pepper base. Add smoked fish, stockfish, ground crayfish, locust beans (if using), remaining seasoning cubes, and salt. Stir well. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, allowing all the proteins to absorb the pepper base. The stew should be lush and thick, not watery — if too liquid, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes.
5Add the greens: Taste the stew and adjust salt. Then add the shredded spinach all at once. Stir it through the stew continuously (this is the riro — the stirring) for 3–5 minutes until wilted and incorporated. Do not cover. You want the spinach to keep its vivid green color — overcooking makes it grey. Fresh spinach takes 3 minutes; African spinach may take 5–6.
6Final consistency: The finished efo riro should be glossy and lush — the spinach uniformly dark green and coated in the pepper-palm oil base, the meat visible throughout, the oil showing slightly at the surface (a sign it is properly made). It should not be watery.
7Serve immediately with pounded yam (the classic pairing), fufu, amala, eba, or steamed white rice. The stew keeps and reheats beautifully — the flavors deepen overnight.

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