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Eba (gari swallow)
Ẹ̀bà: hot-water gari turned into a firm, faintly sour swallow in five minutes
Students in hostels, office workers at lunchtime buka and families from Warri to Lagos all lean on eba, because it is ready in about five minutes from a bag of gari, the toasted granules of fermented cassava. Stirred into hot water, gari swells into a smooth, firm, slightly tangy dough that you pinch, roll and dip into egusi, okra, ogbono or efo riro. Yellow gari has been fried with a little palm oil and gives a richer, golden eba; white gari is sharper and paler. Chef's tip: pour the gari onto the water, never the water onto the gari, and wait a minute before stirring so every grain soaks evenly.
- Total time
- 7 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 9 oz gari (yellow or white)from African grocers
- 2 cups waterjust off the boil, plus extra
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 2 cups water to the boil in a kettle and pour about 450 ml into a heatproof bowl or pot, keeping the rest hot.
3 minStep 2: Sprinkle 9 oz gari (yellow or white) evenly over the surface of the water. Leave without stirring for 1 minute, until the water has been absorbed and the gari looks swollen.
1 minStep 3: Stir and fold firmly with a wooden spoon, pressing against the side of the bowl, for 1–2 minutes until smooth and lump-free. The most common mistake is too much water, which gives soft, sticky eba; start with less and add a splash of the hot water only if it is too stiff.
2 minStep 4: Shape into balls with a wet bowl or wrap in plastic wrap to keep warm, and serve straight away with soup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does eba (gari swallow) take?
- About 7 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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