A vegan take on a spicy Nigerian spinach stew. Mushrooms, tofu and spinach in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Cook Time 30 minutesmins
Course Main
Cuisine Nigerian
Servings 4
Ingredients
Sauce
2tablespoonstomato puree
2red bell peppers
1small brown onion
4clovesgarlic
1Scotch bonnet chilli *
Stew
4tablespoonsvegetable oilsplit
250gshiitake mushroomsstalks removed then sliced
1medium brown onionsliced
1red bell peppersliced
2teaspoonsweet paprika
½teaspoonsmoked paprika
250gfirm tofucubed
200mlvegan beef stock
1tablespoonvegan Worcestershire sauce
700gspinachfresh or frozen
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roughly chop the bell peppers, onion, garlic and Scotch bonnet then add them to a blender with the tomato purée. Blend until smooth. Add some water to help it blend if needed. Set aside for later.
Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to a pot over medium heat. Once hot add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden around the edges, around 6 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms from the pot and set aside for later. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and sauté until starting to soften, around 4 minutes.
Add the blended sauce and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the oil starts to pool at the sides of the pot. This will take around 10 to 20 minutes depending if you had to add water.
Once the sauce has thickened add the sliced bell pepper, cubed tofu, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, vegan beef stock, vegan Worcestershire sauce and the cooked shiitake mushrooms. Stir everything together and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
If you are using frozen spinach, defrost it in a bowl of boiling water before adding it to the pot.
Add the spinach to the pan and continue to cook until wilted and evenly distributed through the stew, around 5 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. The amount of salt needed will depend on the amount of salt in the stock. We added ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper at this stage.
Serve your Vegan Efo Riro with a side of rice.
Notes
The amount of chilli added can be changed to match your taste. Remove the seeds from the chilli for less heat or even use a less spicy chilli. Add a second Scotch bonnet if you want it hotter.