A
couple of weeks ago, I was amidst some friends and new people and the
topic of food and cooking came up. I was not surprised when the
conversation led to cheap pot shots about Yoruba women not knowing how
to cook, and of course an argument ensued.
Knowing Nigerians and how we can argue
over the smallest of things, the argument escalated. In a bid not to
join in, I just sat there and let them have a go at it, all the while
having a smirk on my face, and perpetually raising my eyebrow, I was
surprised it hadn’t uprooted from my face. At some point one of them
suddenly remembered I was seated and he said “ah sorry Dunni, you are an exception, you are even half Yoruba anyway“.
As if I escaped half of “the curse”. Mind you my mum and grandma;
Yoruba women taught me how to cook. At that point, I saw my chance to
lay it into him and the rest of them real good.
Yoruba people get a lot of flack about
not knowing how to cook or are culturally deficient in terms of
delicious dishes. I really don’t know where that assumption and annoying
stereotype came from. When it is time for people to diss cooking, they
seem to take easy shots at Yoruba people, especially females. Oh, Yoruba
food is this, it is this way, it is one kind. I personally have been at
the receiving end of such derogatory comments. I always smile with glee
when I get the chance to shut them up. You just let my Aunty Beebee
from Ibadan prepare Gbegiri with Ewedu for you and you will drop to your
knees, or my Iperu relatives cook a wicked Ifokore, you will sing to
high heavens. My late grandma’s Palm oil stew will knock your socks off.
Need I mention Ofada sauce which virtually everyone wants to learn how
to cook. Moi-Moi elemi meje was named for a reason. My Ondo and Ijesha
friends will put my manual yam pounding skills to shame. I don’t even
know if I should continue typing. There are so many dishes in Yoruba
land, I don’t know where the misconception started from. Pardon me, I am
a little vexed. I am about to shut some people up today.
In no part of the world do all the women
have cooking on lockdown. It is a myth. Cooking is not a gene that can
be inherited. It is a skill like any kind of skill. Some do great at it,
some don’t. It shouldn’t be used to judge a person, or their character
or damn an entire tribe of people for that matter. You have good cooks
and bad cooks. I have tasted many terrible dishes made by women who are
from areas famed for cooking in Nigeria. Many, many times. My best ever
Tiramisu was served in Paris by a Middle Eastern Chef. Not in Italy or
by an Italian.
May the real Efo Riro please stand up?
This is one of the glory dishes of the Yoruba cuisine. The Edikang Ikong
of Yoruba people. If you have tasted this cooked properly, you will
agree with me. Funny story. I have used this particular soup to *cough*
*cough* shut up a particular older woman and her entourage of “ebi” who
just did not like me because I was Yoruba “aje butter”, so I must be
lazy and not know how to cook. The look on her face after tasting this
was priceless. Absolutely priceless. She announced loudly in a room full
of people. Ah all your sins have been forgiven (which sins?), you
haven’t offended me again. We thought you couldn’t cook. She ate the
soup with so much relish, the other people in the room flew from their
seats to get plates. My ears must have been burning that day from
praise. I have never witnessed that much instant transformation from
outright coldness to warmth as if I was some long lost child. Suddenly, I
was being asked “when are you coming again to see us o”. I just sat
there faking a smile on my face, meanwhile inside, I was hissing and
rolling my eyes. So, all it took was food. Chai. “I for don cook since
na”. A part of me wanted to interject, sarcastically, so Yoruba girls
cannot cook eh. My mother would have had my head because she raised me
better.
Sorry, but I am going all Yoruba on this recipe.
What You Need
Efo Soko – Soko vegetables, the big daddy of Efo Riro
Iru horo – whole locust beans
Tatashe – red bell pepper
Ata Rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
Ede gbigbe – crayfish
Eja Sawa – dried fish
Eja Osan – dried fish
Ara Eran – Beef
Saki – tripe
Pomo – cow hide
Epo pupa – palm oil
Alubusa – red onion
Iyo – Salt
Iyo Knorr – seasoning cubes
Yoruba lesson ends here!
How To
Boil and season all the
meats with salt, lots of chopped onions and seasoning cube. Halfway
through cooking, throw in the Eja Sawa. Eja Sawa is a very dry and hard
fish. It is common to soak it in hot water, but this loses some of its
flavour, so I add mine shortly before the meats have properly softened
so it has a symbiotic relationship with the stock. It is one of the few
dried fish that can hold its own against the strong flavours of meat.
The secret to any great tasting soup is
the stock. If you get this right, you will not need seasoning cubes at
the latter stages of cooking the soups. If your soups have always tasted
the same, boil the meats with eja sawa, use the stock and watch people
lick their fingers in pure delight. I just gave out one of my secrets.
Shhhhhhh. Another option is to boil the meats with stockfish. I use both
methods, but Eja Sawa trumps stock fish by miles, in terms of the
resulting stock.
Roughly blend the Tatashe (Bell Pepper)
and ata rodo (scotch bonnet pepper). Bring this to a boil and reduce
till it forms a thick paste. Proper Efo Riro just like Edikang Ikong is
not liquidy or dripping.
Give the Iru (locust beans) and the
crayfish a good rinse. Remember not to drown the Iru in water in order
not to lose the flavour. Rinse the eja osan thoroughly and shred into
bits. Dice the onions and set aside. You need all the ingredients
prepped before you start.
Heat up palm oil and
fry the onions till it is translucent. Add the boiled pepper and Iru and
fry for a few minutes. You want this to fry till you have a thick
paste, because of the stock which will be introduced to dilute it
slightly.
Once it is fried, add the meats, and
ground crayfish to the pot. Add stock in cooking spoonfuls to the pot
and stir. You have to be really careful with the stock so you don’t end
up with liquidy Efo Riro (before you get accused of not knowing how to
cook. )
Lower the heat, to allow the meats to
absorb the essence of the pepper, Iru and crayfish. Let this cook for 3 –
5 minutes.You also do not want to use high heat, which will evaporate
the stock. Keep frying till you have a semi-thick stew that tastes
heavenly. It is just about to taste even better. You may not even need
to re-season with salt and/or seasoning cube if you get the balance very
well. If after tasting you still need to, go ahead.
Add the soko and dried
fish. You always add the dried fish with the vegetables for two reasons.
1. So it doesn’t break down. 2. You want its taste to stand on its own.
Dried Fish has the tendency to absorb all the flavours around it, so
the less time it spends in a pot filled with bold flavours, the better.
Vegetables are absorbent, so once it is
in the pot, stir to increase its interaction with the already fried
sauce. It will absorb the sauce and at the same time leach out it’s own
liquids, creating a beautiful chemistry. Lower the heat further so you
don’t lose the nutritional value while you are allowing it to soak up
all the delicious goodies. Cook for about 3 minutes, 5 if you are
cooking with a larger quantity of vegetables.
………………there you have it.
The next time anyone talks smack to you about your cooking, Efo Riro is your best defence.
Efo Riro and Pounded yam – I can hear
the people you are trying to shut up, not uttering a single word for the
next few minutes. Prepare for a barrage/onslaught of praise.
Enjoy!
Oh before I go, I have some news. I am now bringing
The Dooney’s Kitchen Experience
right into the comfort of your own kitchen, via a never been done
revolutionary service called an e-Cooking Class. From start to finish of
any dish of your choice, I will be virtually in your kitchen, guiding
you through the steps, as if I was cooking the dish myself. A fun and
personal experience that goes way beyond reading a recipe. If you no
longer want to just salivate over my food. I now offer a meal drop off
and pick up service, including the service of a Private Chef for
intimate dinners and small gatherings. Keep in touch!
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Dunni Obata is an IT Project Manager by day and a
cook the rest of the time. She loves entertainment and one of her bad
habits is feeding people. When she’s not cooking, she’s watching the
Food Network. Dunni is very passionate about Nigerian food and believes
they have a lot to offer globally. Visit her blog – www.dooneyskitchen.com
