“Ayoola summons me with these words—Korede, I killed him.”
― Oyinkan Braithwaite, My Sister, the Serial Killer
This week’s theme was Nigerian, which led me to a book that has been on my TBR list for a while — My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite — and a dish I’d never heard of before: Efo riro.
The book
I enjoyed this darkly comic novel so much I finished it in two days. Korede would do anything for her beautiful younger sister, Ayoola — even clean up a murder scene or two or three. But when her serial killer sister starts up a relationship with the man Korede is secretly in love with, jealousy takes over. Ayoola is dangerous, but so Korede as she spirals down. I particularly enjoyed how the author portrayed their sisterly relationship, showing how fiercely Korede both loves and hates Ayoola. The story is tense and tightly written, echoing Korede’s feelings of frustrated rage. In the end, the men, both dead and alive, don’t matter half as much as the bond between sisters.
The meal
Early in the novel, Korede tries to teach her sister to make efo riro, a Nigerian stew, but Ayoola isn’t interested. Korede brings the stew to work the next day as lunch for the doctor she is secretly in love with. He praises her cooking, telling her she’ll make someone a fine wife someday. But not long after, he falls head over heels for Ayoola, kicking off the novel’s main love triangle.
Efo riro is traditionally made with amaranth leaves, but spinach is a decent substitute. The protein can vary; I followed this recipe, which uses beef.
I’ve never cooked with red palm oil, ground crayfish or locust bean before. I didn’t notice any difference with the palm oil, but the ground crayfish and locust beans added a savory flavor to the stew.
There’s a lot of vegetables in this recipe too: 3 pounds of greens, plus tomatoes, onions and peppers.
Efo riro is usually served with fufu, a starchy puree made out of cassava or plantain. My attempt at fufu turned out awful, so I served this with rice, like Korede does in the novel.
The verdict? Because of the amount of spinach and peppers, this stew felt very healthy. It was a pretty filling lunch, too. The stew had a bit of spice, but the overall flavor and textures didn’t wow me. I don’t know if I’d make it again, but it was interesting to try.