How to Cook Delicious Nigerian Bean Soup (Gbegiri)
Eunice loves to cook food from her native Nigerian cuisine and share her recipes with others.
What Is Gbegiri?
Gbegiri is a highly nutritious and tasty bean soup that comes from western Nigeria. Its primary ingredient is black-eyed peas. Traditionally, it is served with amala, a starch made from yam flour that is commonly eaten by the Yoruba people.
Ingredients
For the gbegiri:
- 2 onions
- 1 cup beans (black eyed peas)
- Habanero peppers, to taste
- 1/4 kilogram mackerel fish
- 1/4 cup palm oil
- 2 bullion cubes
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For the ewedu (jute soup):
- 1/4 kilogram meat (poultry, beef or goat)
- 1 bunch or a medium-sized plate full jute leaves
- 4 tablespoons locust beans
- 1 teaspoon potash
- water
- Salt, to taste
Instructions for Gbegiri
- Wash the beans thoroughly to remove the skins.
- Place the peeled beans in a pot or pressure cooker and cook till they are done (about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker or 45 minutes in a pot).
- Steam the meat and fish with bullion cubes and salt for 10-15 minutes to make a stock.
- Blend cooked beans in a blender to make a purée. Set aside.
- Place a pot on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 3 minutes (don’t allow the oil to bleach).
- Stir the puréed beans in heated palm oil and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add meat stock and stir. Check consistency. Add water till you achieve desired consistency/thickness.
- Add parboiled meat, fish and pepper. Stir.
- Turn down the heat and allow it to cook for about 8-10 minutes. Keep checking in between to prevent soup from getting burnt.
Gbegiri, ewedu, fried meat and stew are served together
Instructions for Ewedu
- Pluck the ewedu (jute) leaves from the stem.
- Rinse off jute leaves thoroughly in clean water. Set aside.
- Mix water and potash in a small pot, and place on medium heat to boil.
- As soon as the water starts boiling, add the ewedu leaves and cook for 6-10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and whisk briskly with a traditional whisk broom, effectively mashing the leaves into a purée. Alternatively, use a blender to blend the leaves after they have cooled.
- Put the pot on minimum heat and add in the pureed ewedu.
- Add salt, ground dry crayfish and locust beans.
- Leave it to simmer for 2-6 minutes.
- Serve with gbegiri and amala (yam meal).
Ewedu (jute leaves)
