DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Efo Riro
Spinach stew with a palm-oil pepper base, mixed beef, stockfish and dried prawns.
About Efo Riro
Efo riro is a Yoruba leafy-vegetable stew from Nigeria. Lola Osinkolu’s spinach version combines a palm-oil pepper base with beef, tripe, cow skin, stockfish and dried prawns.
Red bell pepper, Scotch bonnet and onion create a sweet, hot aromatic base. Crayfish and fish deepen the savoury flavour, while optional fermented locust beans add their distinctive pungency.
The stew is thick, with wilted spinach surrounding pieces of meat and fish. The coarse pepper mixture gives it body, and optional prepared rice offers a plain accompaniment.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Crustaceans, Fish.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Efo Riro
Lola Osinkolu’s traditional Yoruba efo riro with mixed beef and fish.
- Red bell peppersBase · Own pepper base
- Scotch bonnet peppersSeasoning · Own pepper base
- OnionsAromatic
- Palm oilCooking medium
- Ground crayfishSeasoning
- Fermented locust beans (iru)Seasoning · Optional
- Bouillon cubeSeasoningIngredient page not linked
- SaltSeasoning
- SpinachBase
- StockfishProtein
- Dried prawnsProtein
- Prepared beefProtein
- Prepared beef tripeProtein
- Prepared cow skinProtein
- WaterCooking medium
- Prepared riceAccompaniment · Optional serving · Optional
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Red bell peppers:
- Scotch bonnet peppers:
- Onions: . Required small onion in the blended pepper base and separate diced medium onion for frying consolidated; neither use omitted.
- Palm oil: . First traditional palm-oil branch; alternative vegetable oil not imported.
- Ground crayfish: . Broader crayfish identity; ground form retained, exact species unprovided.
- Fermented locust beans (iru) (optional): . Card lists locust bean; prose identifies fermented iru and explicitly allows omission.
- Bouillon cube: . Brand, stock source and full ingredient/allergen formula unprovided.
- Salt:
- Spinach: . Required blanching and cold rinsing described inline; water included below.
- Stockfish: . Named prepared dried fish, shredded; species and complete upstream processing formula unspecified.
- Dried prawns: . Broader prawns identity; dried form retained. Exact species and drying/product formula remain unspecified. Author comment confirms retained heads; no unspecified smoke treatment assumed.
- Prepared beef: . Broader beef identity; required mixed meat is already boiled/prepared, with no own upstream seasoning formula supplied.
- Prepared beef tripe: . Listed as part of required beef mixture; upstream cooking/seasoning formula unprovided.
- Prepared cow skin: . Listed as part of required beef mixture; upstream cooking/seasoning formula unprovided.
- Water: . Explicit spinach blanching/cold rinsing and first sauce-thinning water branch; alternative unnamed stock not unioned.
- Prepared rice (optional): . First final card serving example rice, an optional accompaniment. Rice type and full own cooking formula unprovided.
Origins & food traditions
Efo riro belongs to Yoruba cooking; Nigeria’s National Institute for Cultural Orientation also lists it among southwestern Nigerian cuisines.
Cuisines & regions
- Yoruba
- Nigerian CuisineCatalogue link pending review
- Yoruba CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.