Nigerian Bean Stew (Gbegiri)

Nigerian bean stew otherwise known as Gbegiri is native to the Yorubas in the South Western part of Nigeria, that is not to say that Gbegiri isn’t eaten too by non Yorubas. Gbegiri can be prepared using red meat, white meat or dried fish often referred to as smoked fish which is also combined with red pepper, tomatoes and onion which is liquidised. Below is a list of the ingredients as well as the method of preparation.

Ingredients:

3cups of either red or white beans
2 medium size onion
2 medium size tomatoes
1kg of white meat
4 medium size pepper
3 cooking spoons of palm oil
seasoning (curry, thyme 2 cubes of knorr chicken)Salt

Method:

Cut the white meat into sizes that can be served, rinse thoroughly and pour in a pot add some water, add one medium size onion cut into cubes and some seasoning and 1 cube of knorr chicken, salt and boil for 40 minutes. The three cups of either red or white bean is first soaked in water for about 30 minutes, this is done to make it easy for the skin to come off. Squeeze the beans between the palms , get a sieve as well as a bowl and place the sieve inside the bowl, pour the water inside the beans into the sieve, then pour back the water in the bowl into the beans. Continue to squeeze and pour the water in the beans back into the sieve placed on top of the bowl this is done until all the skin has come off. Then boil the skinned beans until it becomes soft which should not be more than 40 minutes. Liquidise the onion, tomatoes and pepper. Mash the beans properly then add the liquidised puree, the cooked white meat, the palm oil, seasoning and salt to taste and cook for another 10 minutes. Gbegiri can be eaten with yam, pounded yam, eba, amala, rice or any other food of one’s choosing.