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Nigerian · West African

Efo riro

Non-vegetarian

Ẹ̀fọ́ riro

A rich Yoruba stew of greens cooked into a blended red pepper and palm-oil base with tender beef. Deeply savoury and served with pounded yam, eba or rice.

Efo riro is a Nigerian stew, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with beef chuck, red bell pepper and red palm oil. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Efo riro
Photo: Bukky658 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
402

Ingredients

4 servings

For the beef

For the pepper base

For the stew

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the beef with the sliced onion (opens in a new tab), salt and water until tender. Keep the stock.

  2. Step 2

    Blend the peppers, scotch bonnet and onion (opens in a new tab) coarsely, then boil the purée in a pot until most of the water has evaporated.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the palm oil (opens in a new tab) in a wide pot until hot but not smoking, and fry the chopped onion (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes. Add the reduced pepper and fry, stirring, until the oil floats on top.

    Food safety: Palm oil smokes easily — don't let it overheat.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the beef, about 150 ml of its stock and the smoked fish, if using. Simmer 5 minutes.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Squeeze excess water from the spinach (opens in a new tab) and stir it in with the salt. Cook just until wilted and coated in the sauce.

    • 4 min
    • medium-low heat

    Don't overcook the greens — they should stay bright.

About this dish

Origin
South-west Nigeria, Nigeria · Well documentedA Yoruba dish.More food from Nigeria
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Boiled, Blended
Taste
savoury, spicy (chilli heat), rich, umami
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Red bell pepper · Red palm oil · Spinach · Onion · Fresh red chilli
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing · Bhunao · Wet grinding

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom mackerel

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

402 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 568 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 31%
  • Carbohydrate 16%
  • Fat 53%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy402 kcal71 kcal
Protein33 g5.8 g
Carbohydrate16.5 g2.9 g
Net carbohydrate10.3 g1.8 g
Sugars6.9 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.2 g1.1 g
Fat24.7 g4.3 g
Saturated fat11.5 g2 g
Trans fat0.3 g0.1 g
Cholesterol80 mg14 mg
Sodium1101 mg194 mg
Salt equivalent2.8 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1576 mg
Calcium
197 mg
Iron
7.3 mg
Magnesium
164 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
849 µg
Vitamin C
165 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
347 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: mackerel.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Iru (fermented locust beans) and ground crayfish are traditional seasonings — add 1–2 tbsp of each if you can find them.

Common mistakes

  • Not reducing the pepper purée enough — the stew turns watery and tastes raw.

Serve with

  • Serve with pounded yam, eba, amala or white rice.

Food safety

  • Simmer stewing beef, goat or lamb until fork-tender; cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently without boiling for long.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the beef

Used in steps 1, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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