Nigerian Efo Riro
A pepper base cooks until its raw edge disappears before greens are folded in just long enough to become tender and glossy.
About this dish
Efo riro is a Yoruba vegetable stew built from leafy greens and a pepper-tomato sauce enriched with palm oil and often fish, meat or both. The sauce should be concentrated before the greens enter so the finished dish is rich rather than watery.
Why this dish matters
Efo riro is common in Yoruba home cooking and celebration meals, paired with rice or swallows. Greens and proteins vary according to season and household.
This version uses spinach and smoked fish for accessibility; traditional greens and protein choices vary.
Preparation notes
Raw watery sauce ruins the texture.
They should remain green and distinct.
Smoked fish can be very salty.
Ingredients & detailed method
Ingredients
- 2 lb spinach or amaranth greens
- 1/3 cup red palm oil
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 Scotch bonnet
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp ground crayfish, optional
- 8 oz smoked fish
- 1 tsp salt, as needed
Method
- 1.Blend peppers, chile, half the onion and tomatoes coarsely.
- 2.Heat palm oil and cook remaining onion until soft.
- 3.Add pepper blend and simmer 15–20 minutes until reduced and oil shows at the edges.
- 4.Add crayfish and smoked fish and cook 5 minutes.
- 5.Fold in chopped greens.
- 6.Checkpoint: greens should be tender and glossy with no pool of thin red liquid.
- 7.Adjust seasoning and serve with rice or a swallow.
Worth finding before you cook
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