Gbegiri, Beans soup, a popular delicacy amongst the Yoruba people especially my Ibadan brethren.

The most popular food business in Ibadan is the “Amala” business and no Amala buka worth it’s salt would omit to have Gbegiri on its menu. As much as I love to cook I love my trips to the Amala buka even more.‪ Currently my favorite Amala joint in Ibadan is “Skyelolo” (OpeOluwa Food Canteen) in Bodija. This has been my favorite joint for well over 12 years. No trip to Ibadan is complete, without me making a stop at “Skyelolo.” I hope they maintain and improve on their standards

When Gbegiri is served in the Ewedu + Stew + Amala, combination, it is called Abula

While Gbegiri is majorly associated with Amala or Lafun, it can be paired with other swallows, i’ve often paired it with rice, as well as pasta.

Here is how to make Gbegiri

Recipe

• Brown or white black eyed beans
• Locust beans (Iru)
• Palm oil
• Cayenne pepper (ground dried pepper)
• Powdered Crayfish (optional)
• Seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste.

Note
Use Iru wowo, I always use a generous amount of Iru.

Procedure

• Peel Beans to remove the outer coat.
• Cook till tender, When the beans is tender you can either use the tradition broom whisk –ijabe– to whisk the beans to a purée or pass through a fine sieve collecting the smooth pulp into a pot or use a blender to blend it to a smooth paste. If you use the broom or the blender you still have to pass through a fine sieve to remove any chaff or residue.
• Return the Pulp to the heat and and add your palm oil, pepper, locust beans, powdered crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt to taste add a little more water if necessary to let the soup be slightly runny.
• Cook on medium heat and watch the soup as it has a tendency to boil over.
• Cook till the soup starts to thicken slightly and turn off the heat -this is because gbegiri has the tendency to quickly turn to a thick sludge when it cools-. The consistency you are looking for is that it can slightly coat the back of a spoon.

Serve with Ewedu or alone like I have it here and enjoy with Amala or Amala Lafun (white /cassava Amala ) or any of your favourite swallow.

• Bean Dishes
• Soups
• Soups, Stews and Sauces