Red Spinach Efo Riro for Lunch

Okay, so I made some Red Spinach Efo Riro, a really delicious, exotic and extremely nutritious vegetable dish....seriously, this is one of those dishes I have eaten that I literally feel myself getting "younger" hehehe...., that's how much overloaded the dish is with antioxidants.

I now regularly eat this wonderful vegetable dish and have decided to share some pictures of how I enjoy eating it.......

Serving suggestions: serve generous amounts with pounded yam, gari. plantain. boiled yam, semovita, fufu, amala, boiled rice etc

Red Spinach Efo Riro with Plantain Shards

Red Spinach Efo Riro with Gari

Green & Red Spinach Efo Riro

Red Spinach Efo Riro with Pounded Yam

Red Spinach Efo Riro

Efo riro is one of the most popular vegetable dishes favoured by Nigerians particularly the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria. Its essentially made with green leafy vegetables with a combination of dried fish meat and other preferred sources of protein.

The  most often used green leafy vegetable for efo riro include all varieties of amaranth greens (including tete and soko), spinach and I have also successfully made efo riro using kale, collard greens and other leafy vegetables available really. But I have to stress that the Yorubas prefer amaranth greens to make the most sumptuous efo riro dish, and this is because the leaves are just well suited.

Red & Green Spinach (Amaranth)

So having discovered Red Spinach recently through my exciting culinary adventure, it was only a matter of time that I would be cooking a different, exotic and scintillating version of the much loved efo riro..... and I tell you its just divine.

Method: so the same exact method and ingredients used for making the traditional efo riro was used, you know creating the base sauce made with peppers, tomatoes, dried fish, locust beans, palm oil etc. For the red spinach, I plucked the leaves off the stalk, and chop into shreds. After washing them off debris and other foreign matters, I blanched the leaves in the microwave inside a Ziploc food bag. I chose to use this method of blanching to help retain some other vitamins that regular blanching would have depleted. Also I was really keen to help keep the bright red colour.

Colour: the colour of the resulting dish is excitingly bright red. Surprisingly, the color did not tarnish or darken with cooking or over a few days of storage in the fridge. The high pigmentation in red spinach indicates very high levels of beneficial phyto-chemicals which often have antioxidant properties.

Taste: The other surprising thing is that the taste of my red spinach efo riro was not significantly different in comparison to the green spinach efo riro. When blind folded, you really would not notice any major or striking difference. However, its useful to note that the red efo riro has a slightly more earthy flavour.

Versatility: Red Spinach efo riro can pretty much be eaten in the same way you eat the green efo riro. Serve with rice, boiled yam, plantain, and of course different types swallows such as pounded yam, gari, amala, semolina etc

You've got to try it....

Red & Green Amaranth Efo Riro

Red Spinach, Seafood Pepper Soup

So now that I have discovered the goodness of Red Spinach.....I went to work on how best to put it to use and to start getting all the goodness it offers. Read more about Red Spinach here

Red spinach is loosely called that, but really it is red amaranths, and thus can be used, cooked and eaten in similar ways.

The first red spinach recipe am sharing with you is the Red Spinach Seafood Pepper Soup

I could literally feel my age drop as I ate this soup, each table spoon added days to my year......really, really hehehe. This is because it is so intense in its colour, taste and flavour. And because I know that the brilliant colour of the soup is an indication of the richness and goodness of the soup....its packed full of minerals and vitamins vital to good health and for fighting signs of aging..!

Whereas people tend to discard the some-worth dark coloured water created by cooking green amaranth, on the other hand, the deep coloured water created by cooking red amaranth is priceless in its nutritional value and also its visual appeal.....

The recipe is so simple and straight forward....

Its as simple as adding some handful of finely shredded red spinach to some freshly made seafood pepper soup, simmer until the leaves soften, then serve hot preferably with some eko or agidi.

Simpy divine....a must try

Meatballs Efo Riro (Meatballs in Stewed Amaranth Greens)

So now I have quite a lot of meatballs in my freezer, after having made some previously (check post here). I particularly made them so that my daughter can readily have some whenever she wants....cause she loves meatballs. The idea of eating meat off the bone does not wash with her, and she wants little effort possible to chew her meat...!

Meatballs are great with pasta, and also with rice. And as a new discovery for me, they are excellent in traditional Nigerian soups.

So my daughter was the one who suggested that I should add some meatballs to my traditional vegetable soup, so I did, and the result is fantastic. The meat balls cooked so quickly and they soaked up so much flavour from the soup base. It is delicious, very simple to make, with very little effort.

What you need
Home made meat balls (check recipe here)
Base sauce to make the soup
Stock
Some palm oil (or other vegetable oil of choice)
Amaranth greens (blanched and shredded)
Locust beans
Whole smoked prawns (remove the head, and wash thoroughly in hot water)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

What to do
Heat some vegetable oil in a sauce pan and pan fry the meatballs until browned slightly.  This process is needed to seal the juices in the meatballs. Stir constantly to avoid burning, Once the balls have evenly browned, remove from the pan and allow to rest,

In the meantime, heat up some palm oil in a saucepan and add a generous amount of pre-made red pepper base sauce (see a recipe here). Add the stock and some locust beans. Allow sauce to sizzle and reduce into a slightly thick consistency. Taste for salt.

Now add the meatballs into the sizzling sauce and stir in. Also add the blanched and shredded amaranth greens. Cover the pan and turn heat down. Allow to simmer until the greens and the meatballs cook through. The amount of greens and meatballs you add will depend on the quantity of sauce you have. Adjust consistency by adding a little hot water, as required. Taste for salt.

Serve hot.