Efo Riro

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I have finally found a beans and rice recipe that is divine, heavenly, and out of this world! Three huge helpings for my young son certainly attests to the fantastic nature of this dish.

And... we found a use for collard greens that everyone loves!

The beautiful thing about collard greens is that they contain a remarkably higher calcium content than that of some other leafy greens.

One serving (1 cup) of cooked collard greens contains twice as much calcium as kale, equaling more than one third the recommended daily value for women (1000 mg). This is great news for those of us refraining from dairy in our diets.

Efo Riro (Nigerian Vegetable Stew)


You'll Need:
1 medium red bell pepper
1-4 hot peppers, depending on your heat preference
4 garlic cloves
fresh ginger, equal amount to the garlic
1 medium tomato
1 small red onion
1/2 cup water
12 oz chopped frozen collard greens (defrosted and water squeezed out)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 TBS curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups brown rice, uncooked and rinsed
black eyed peas, 2 cups dried or 3 cans

The Preparation Method:

Prepare dried beans according to package directions. Usually takes 5 hours from start to finish, so get this going around lunch time. Or take the easy road and use canned beans. In this case, simply put them on low heat just after you get the rice going.

Start the brown rice a-cookin'. Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add 2 cups uncooked brown rice. Add salt to your taste. Stir. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes or until rice is tender.

Chop bell pepper, tomato, onion, hot pepper, ginger and garlic.

Place in blender or food processor with 1/2 cup water.

Puree until smooth.

Add oils to the saucepan on medium heat.

Add curry powder and chicken bullion to hot oil.

Stir it in.

Now add blended mixture to hot oil. Taste the blend so you have a frame of reference for determining when the sauce is done. Stir to combine. Boil for 30 minutes over medium heat. It is fully cooked when the flavors are rich and complex.

Add defrosted collard greens. No worries if they're still a little frozen. The Efo Riro can handle it.

Stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes more.

Serve over brown rice and black eyed peas. Salt as needed.

Watch this video to know how I was feeling after tasting my first bite of Efo Riro. Continue watching to know how I was feeling after finishing my third plate!

New Beginning FGBC JHM Chorale - Glory Glory Hallelujah