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Nigerian 'Efo' (Stew)

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by: gwydion
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Word Count: 323

'Efo' is the Nigerian term for a stew (or a 'soup' in West African parlance. What I present here is the recipe fro a basic stew to which additions such as meat, greens and/or fish can be added. Think of this as the basic stock which can be bulked-up as you wish.

Ingredients

1 bunch greens (eg collard greens, kale, bitterleaf, spinach)
500g fresh tomatoes (over-ripe are good
3 hot chilli peppers
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
1 tsp black pepper
2 Maggi (or beef stock) cubes
8 tbsp red palm oil (or groundnut oil + 1 tsp paprika)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
salt, to taste
400g dried, smoked fish
2 tbsp ground crayfish or prawns (optional)
2 red bell peppers, chopped

Begin by making a chilli paste. Add the chillies to a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. Add the 1/2 chopped onion and pound to mix.

Add a little oil to a pan and use this to fry the onion and chill mixture. Mash the tomatoes and add the onion. Add this mix, along with the bell peppers to the chill mix and bring to a boil. Add the ground crayfish or prawns, black pepper, Maggi cubes and salt. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down completely.

At this point wash the smoked fish and break into chunks, removing any bones you can. Add these to the pot and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile wash the greens and chop them finely. Add these to the pot and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the greens are tender.

Season with salt to taste and serve with rice, fufu or any other West African carbohydrate staple (yams, cassava and/or boiled plantains also work).

Remember that this is a basic stew recipe. You can also add fish and/or meat to the dish. Just fry the meat beforehand and add to the pot along with the greens and allow to warm through before serving.

About the Author

Dyfed Lloyd Evans is the webmaster of the Celtnet Recipes site, which has recipes from every corner of the globe, but specializes in African Recipes, with over 1000 from every corner of Africa. You can find more Nigerian Recipes in the West African Recipes section of his website.

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