Introduction
It is not enough to eat food and fill our stomachs when we are hungry; we must also nourish our bodies when we eat. That is why food is necessary not only for survival but also for nourishment and satisfaction.
Efo Riro soup is a healthy and famous Yoruba vegetable soup that is popular among not only Yorubas but also other Nigerian communities. Efo Riro is a nutritious vegetable soup that has the following ingredients:
Green leaf or African spinach (Efo): high in antioxidant and vitamin C properties, low in fat, and high in nutritional fiber.
Palm fruit oil: which is high in saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, as well as vitamin E.
Locust beans (Iru): Parkia biglobosa is the scientific name, It has a high fat , protein, and carbohydrate content all this build and repairs tissues in the body.
Red bell pepper: It contains twice as much vitamin C as a green pepper and nine times more vitamins A and K than a green pepper, plus it promotes good vision and digestion.
How To Prepare This Local Soup (Efo Riro)
Preparing this soup is cost effective, as the ingredients doesn't cost much. When I was in secondary school my mum taught me how to cook this particular soup. Enough of the talk let me quickly show you how to cook this vegetable soup (Efo Riro)
Firstly I visited the local market to get all the ingredients which includes;
The Green leaf or African spinach
The locust beans
Palm Oil
Meat
Red bell pepper, Onions and Seasoning to taste.
Wash the meat, add seasoning and salt and boil for 20-30 minutes
Rinse and sliced the Green leaf (vegetable), then boil for 3-4 mins this is done to soften the vegetable.
Blend or grind the Red bell pepper, slice the onions and unwrapped the seasoning (Maggi)
Place the pot on medium heat, and add the Palm Oil, heat this for about 4 minutes and don't allow the Palm Oil to bleach. Add the Onions follow by the locust beans (Iru) and allow it to fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the blended Red bell pepper and stir to mix with fired onions and locust beans, cook for about 4 minutes on a low heat.
Add the boiled Meat and seasoning pinch of salt to taste, allow it to cook for 8 minutes. Strain and squeeze out excess water from the boiled Green leaf (vegetable) add the vegetable and make sure you stire very well. Cook on a medium
Here we go, the vegetable soup (Efo Riro) is ready, serve with any swallow (Plantain fufu, Pounded Yam or Eba).
The Health Benefits Of Efo Riro
This vegetable soup consists of numerous ingredients that are highly rich in protein and vitamin C. This helps to fight diseases and repairs damages tissues in the body. Some of the health benefits are listed below;
Efo Riro aids in the speedier healing of burns and wounds.
The vegetable treates bloodshot eyes, blurred vision, and cataracts.
It aids in the prevention of abscesses, also lower the risk of diabetes
It is good for patients with a liver hyperactivity syndrome.
Like every other vegetables Efo Riro aids in the proper functioning of other body organs.
Conclusion
This vegetable soup (Efo Riro) is advised for weight watchers, the elderly, and anybody seeking bodily nourishment because it aids in digestion, lowers blood sugar, promotes weight loss, and can be used to treat stroke and hypertension, particularly when made with locust beans.
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Thank you!