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Gbegiri (Yoruba bean soup)
Gbegiri: Oyo's silky, golden soup of peeled black-eyed beans, palm oil and locust beans
Order amala at any buka in Ibadan or Oyo and the server will ask "abula?", meaning a ladle of gbegiri and a ladle of ewedu poured side by side, usually crowned with a spoon of pepper stew. Gbegiri itself is smooth, mellow and earthy: peeled black-eyed beans cooked until they fall apart, beaten to a cream and simmered with red palm oil and pungent locust beans. Many cooks add ground crayfish or smoked fish; this is the meat-free way, which loses nothing of its velvet texture. Serve it with amala and ewedu or spooned over boiled yam. The mistake to avoid is leaving bean skins in, which turns the soup grey and gritty, so rub and rinse until the beans are white. Chef's tip: whisk the cooked beans with a balloon whisk or the traditional ijabe broom rather than a blender for the lightest, fluffiest gbegiri.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz black-eyed beansdried
- 6 ¼ cups waterplus extra as needed
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 tbsp red palm oil
- 1 tbsp locust beansiru or dawadawa, rinsed; or 1 tsp white miso
- 1 tsp ground dried chillior to taste
- 1 vegetable stock cubecrumbled
- 1 tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 14 oz black-eyed beans in cold water for 30 minutes until the skins loosen. Rub handfuls hard between your palms, then flood the bowl with water so the skins float off; pour them away and repeat until almost all the beans are white.
40 minStep 2: Put the peeled beans in a pot with 6 ¼ cups water and 1 onion, bring to the boil and simmer, half-covered, for 45–50 minutes until they are completely soft and collapsing. Top up with hot water so they stay just covered.
50 minStep 3: Whisk the beans vigorously in the pot (or mash through a sieve) until they form a smooth, pale cream with no whole beans left. Add a little hot water if it is thicker than custard.
Step 4: Stir in 4 tbsp red palm oil, 1 tbsp locust beans, 1 tsp ground dried chilli, 1 vegetable stock cube and 1 tsp salt and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't catch, until it turns golden orange and glossy.
10 minStep 5: Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve hot alongside ewedu and amala.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gbegiri (Yoruba bean soup) take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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