Gbegiri Soup (Beans Soup)

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Gbegiri soup  (Beans soup) is one of the popular soups in Nigeria, some people actually patronize the Buka (restaurants) because of this Gbegiri soup and their signature stew Buka Stew.

It is easy to make, delicious, velvety, mildly flavored, and healthy. It is mostly served with Ewedu soup and stew with amala to make a dish called abula.

What Is Gbegiri Soup?

To start with, I must let you know that soups and stews are eaten differently in West Africa, compared to other parts of the world.

Our soups and stew are not eaten on their own, they will usually accompany a bland starchy main like rice and pasta or swallow. The soup/stew provides the flavor as well as lubrication in case of swallows; and like the Indian curry complements the mains dish.

Gbegiri is a Nigerian traditional soup, which originated from the Southwestern parts of the country. It has a light orange color and is traditionally served with amala (yam flour swallow) or tuwo (corn or rice flour swallow); and meat or fish.

Traditionally, this  soup is prepared either with Nigerian brown beans or black eye beans; and the preparation method includes;

1. Soaking the beans to soften the skin before peeling.
2. Cooking of the peeled beans until very soft.
3. Using ijabe (blending broom stick) to liquefy the beans (or just blending in a blender or food processor).
4. Cooking the blended beans with palm oil and traditional spices.

Gbegiri Soup Recipe

Here is what you need…

• Beans  (Haricot or black eyes beans)

• Pepper flakes/ground pepper powder

• Fermented locust beans (iru/dawadawa)

• Ground dried prawns

• Palm-oil

• Bouillon cube

• Salt

A few notes about ingredients…

Palm oil – You only need a little quantity of this to give the gbegiri a light orange color.

Beans – You can substitute the haricot beans with black eyed beans or other white canned beans like cannellini.

Fermented locust beans (Iru/dawadawa) – Depending on personal preference, you can either blend this with the beans or add after blending. If you’re not a big fan of this condiment, you can do without.

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How To Make Gbegiri

There are two ways to prepare Gbegiri soup:

1) Make Gbegiri with blender and

2) Make Gbegiri without blender.

Both methods are great and i have detailed both in this recipe.

How To Cook Gbegiri Without Blender

Let me just state that this is the authentic way of making gbegiri. My Oyo state people know this and this was how my mama taught me. So if you’re going with the authentic recipe, sieve!

• If you have very thick consistency of the cooked beans, just add water so it’s much easier to sieve. Be careful not to add too much water as so as not to make the gbegiri too watery.  Sieve the beans collecting the liquid in a pot.
• Pour the sieved or blended beans back on the stove. Add stock cube, locust beans, cayenne pepper, palm oil and salt to taste. Don’t overdo the palm oil. You only need just enough Palm oil to give it color.
• Leave to cook for 5 minutes then take off heat.

How To Cook With Blender

• Boil assorted meat till tender with seasoning and salt. Separate stock from meat and set aside
• Blend cooked beans in a blender for a smooth puree and set aside (I love this bit as you can see the silkiness of the beans)
• Place a cooking pan on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 3 minutes (don’t bleach oil)
• Stir puréed beans in palm oil (beans purée should not be loose but somewhere in the middle of loose and thick) Add water if needed to achieve the desired thickness
• Add assorted beef and cayenne pepper, stir till well combined. Reduce the heat and leave to cook for about 10 minutes. Check-in between to avoid soup from burning.
• Add crayfish, seasoning and salt. At this point don’t want the soup to be thick, add water if need be but don’t overdo it.
• Continue to cook until all ingredients are well combined. Check for seasoning and salt. Your Soup is ready!

Can I Make Gbegiri Soup With Beans Flour?

Yes, I tried it and it very easy to make. Just mix the beans flour with cold water to form  thin paste. Pour into a pot with boiling water, add the palm oil, salt, fermented locust beans and dried prawns.

Stir continuously and add more water as it becomes thicker until you have the right consistency.

The gbegiri made from the bean powder had a gel like texture. The starch in the powder became swollen and gelatinized; leading to a cooked starch texture; almost like custard.

What To Serve With Gbegiri Soup

Serve with ewedu soup, swallow of choice like amala dudu (black yam flour), garri or Tuwo and buka stew.

Storage

You can refrigerate this gbegiri soup for 3-4 days. It becomes quite thick after and you will need to add some water when warming it.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THESE OTHER DELICIOUS SOUPS:

Ewedu 

Egusi Soup

Ogbono Soup

Let’s get cooking!

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