Sokoyokoto, Efo Riro Soup (Vegetable Soup): How to Prepare and Health Benefits
Sokoyokoto, Efo Riro Soup (Vegetable Soup): How to Prepare and Health Benefits – Efo Riro Soup (vegetable soup) for the Yoruba is served with pounded yam, a Yoruba delicacy. Efo Riro is a very popular Yoruba soup in Nigeria (sokoyokoto). It is one of my favourites Nigeria soup because of its health benefits.
It is a little bit similar to the popular edikaikong soup of the Akwa-Ibom, the difference is the use of tatashe/tomato, spinach and few other Yoruba local ingredients.
Ingredients
- Sliced spinach leaves (in Igbo; eri ami onu)
- Sliced water melon leave
- 7-10 pieces of stock fish ear
- Assorted meat (1kg)
- 1 cup of sliced tomato/tatashe
- Little pepper
- Sliced onion ball
- Ground crayfish
- 2-3 spoons of iru (locust beans)
- Smoked fish (2-3 medium)
- Palm oil
- 3 knorr cubes (both for meat)
How to prepare Sokoyokoto Efo Riro Soup
Use tatashe or shobo/tomato about 5-10 sliced alongside the fresh red pepper and transfer to a bowl. Wash meat thoroughly with lots of water and salt to remove sand, then be sure to also wash the smoked fish if you are making efo riro soup with fish.
Step 1: Place the cooked meat in a pot, add a little water, season with salt, sliced onions, 2 Knor cubes and allow to boil for 10-15 minutes, add 1-2 cups of water and cook till tender and water is almost dried. Add the smoked fish, stock fish, add a cup of water and cook for another 10-15 minutes depending on the hardness of your stock fish. You need to know that people like them better when they are very soft. The water should be almost dried not allow to burn.
Step 2: Remove the pot from heat, place another pot on heat and pour in some palm oil 200ml or 2 cooking spoon, add onion and grounded tomatoes, allow to fry for another ten (10) minutes while staring occasionally to avoid burning. Add your pepper.
Step 3: Add the cooked meat, stockfish/smoked fish, stir and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, add the crayfish, iru (ogili in Igbo), stir and add the spinach leaves, stir all together and allow to simmer for another 2-5 minutes. You can serve it with pounded yam, rice, fufu or amala.