ingredient
Nigerian greens in a US kitchen
Understand efo greens, spinach, ugu, ewedu and bitterleaf, then choose fresh or frozen forms and manage their different moisture and texture.
AI editorial review: 2026-10-22
Buy the named leaf, not just something green
Nigerian cooking uses many leafy vegetables. The word efo in efo riro refers to leafy greens; it is not a promise that every recipe uses the supermarket plant sold as spinach. Flo Chinyere names efo shoko and efo tete, or green amaranth, for that Yoruba dish.
US spinach is a useful adaptation for efo riro when the recipe allows it. It has its own tenderness and water content. Ask the grocer for the leaf named in your recipe and check the package identity; a substitution changes the dish even when it produces a satisfying meal.
Ugu has its own place
Ugu refers to Nigerian pumpkin leaves. It appears with waterleaf in edikang ikong and in other soups. Ugu and waterleaf are distinct ingredients in that combination; a bag of spinach does not automatically stand for both.
Look for clearly labeled food-grade ugu rather than assuming any garden pumpkin leaf is the intended ingredient. For a spinach adaptation, choose a recipe that actually specifies spinach and its preparation. Keep the named leaf and the substitution visible when describing what you cooked.
Ewedu is jute, with a different texture
Ewedu is a Yoruba jute-leaf soup whose leaves give a slippery texture. Packs may use names such as jute leaves, molokhia or mulukhiyah. Fresh leaves, frozen whole leaves and frozen minced leaves are different starting forms; check the contents rather than relying on the front name alone.
Spinach does not reproduce that draw. Lola Osinkolu treats fresh and frozen jute differently because the frozen pack can already carry substantial water. Follow a method suited to your pack; do not automatically squeeze jute dry just because that is helpful for spinach in efo riro.
Sources: [4]
Bitterleaf needs its own preparation
Bitterleaf is another distinct ingredient, used in dishes such as Igbo ofe onugbu. Flo Chinyere’s method uses washed, squeezed leaves to reduce bitterness, and notes that dried leaves need softening. Check whether your product is fresh, dried, frozen or already prepared.
A quick spinach blanch is not a universal bitterleaf treatment, and the word washed does not tell you how much bitterness remains. Follow the product instructions and the selected bitterleaf recipe. Ordinary spinach can add greens to a soup, but it cannot reproduce bitterleaf’s character.
Sources: [5]
For spinach efo riro, control the water
Wash fresh spinach unless the pack says it is prewashed. Remove unsuitable stems, then wilt or blanch as the recipe directs. Cool enough to handle, drain well, squeeze out excess moisture and chop. Lola’s method reduces the pepper sauce before adding the prepared greens.
For plain frozen spinach, follow the package’s thawing and cooking instructions and drain well before combining with the sauce. Thaw in the refrigerator when needed. Fresh leaf volume and a tightly packed frozen block are not interchangeable cup measures; use the quantity for the form your recipe names.
Keep handling specific to the leaf
Keep fresh leaves refrigerated and use them while sound; keep frozen leaves frozen until preparing them. Follow package storage instructions, including those after opening. Rinse unwashed fresh produce under running water without soap or bleach, and keep it away from raw-meat juices.
There is no single preparation rule for all these greens: squeezing helps manage spinach stew, while jute’s liquid contributes to its soup. Match the leaf, its form and its role before deciding how much water to remove or add.
Research sources
- Flo Chinyere / All Nigerian Recipes — Efo Riro: A Yoruba Delicacy (checked 2026-10-22)
- Lola Osinkolu / Chef Lola’s Kitchen — Spinach Stew (Efo Riro) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Flo Chinyere / All Nigerian Recipes — Edikang Ikong Soup (Vegetable Soup with Ugu and Water Leaves) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Lola Osinkolu / Chef Lola’s Kitchen — Ewedu: Jute Leaves Soup (checked 2026-10-22)
- Flo Chinyere / All Nigerian Recipes — Bitterleaf Soup (Ofe Onugbu) (checked 2026-10-22)
- FoodSafety.gov — 4 Steps to Food Safety (checked 2026-10-22)