How to prepare Gbegiri Soup.



Gbegiri soup is a very popular soup among the Yoruba of the southwestern part of Nigeria. Made primarily with black-eyed peas or brown beans, gbegiri soup looks like a typical American gravy and it's best taken with what the Yoruba call amala (a starchy, carbohydrate mixture of yam flour), tuwo (another form of carbohydrate), rice and some other foods. For additional flavor, gbegiri can also be combined with ewedu, okro or some other kinds of vegetables.

Gbegiri soup

Ingredients:

- Brown beans or black-eyed peas.

- Titus (or other fish) 

– Palm oil 

– Maggi cube 

– Crayfish 

– Salt 

– Pepper 

- Cooked meat or fish. 

Gbegiri preparation:

- Step 1. Get the beans ready. 

- Step 2. Soak the beans in water. Leave for approximately three hours. For those using dried beans (that have already been peeled for fast cooking), soak them overnight. This will soften the beans. 

- Step 3. Add pepper as you need it for taste (it is optional). 

- Step 4. Add grounded Crayfish (optional). 

- Step 5. Place the soft beans inside a pot. Cover them with water. Begin cooking. It is better to use small-medium heat. 

- Step 6. Cook the beans for approximately an hour. it will become even softer but you have to keep an eye on the level of water (the beans should be covered with water all the time so as  not to burn it). 

- Step 7. Use a masher or blender to turn beans into a smooth consistency. It’s ok if you blend the ingredients even before they cool down. 

- Step 8. Add crayfish, pepper (if you want), salt, maggi cube, fish and palm oil to your beans and continue cooking. You should cook everything for another five-six minutes. 

- Step 9. Stir the soup periodically and look at the color of palm oil. If its red color becomes yellow, the meal is ready. 

- Step 10. Hooray! Your delicious Gbegiri soup is ready. 

Gbegiri soup with ewedu, assorted pieces of meat and amala