Ewedu Soup with Lean Beef Strips
Yoruba-style jute leaf soup whisked silky-smooth and simmered with seared lean beef strips and crayfish.
Ewedu is made from jute leaves, whisked briskly with a traditional broom whisk until the soup turns silky and slightly frothy. It's a texture unlike almost anything else on a West African table, and it comes together quickly once the leaves are washed and chopped.
Lean beef strips are seared separately first, so they keep some char and don't turn stringy from over-boiling, then simmered briefly in the finished soup so they soak up the broth's flavor. Crayfish rounds out the savoriness without needing much added salt.
Beef is a solid source of iron, and jute leaves contribute their own share too, so this soup can be a genuinely useful pick for anyone paying attention to iron intake. It's also naturally low in carbohydrates and high in protein, making it a good, light main on its own or spooned over a small portion of a starchy side.
Ingredients
- 400 g jute leaves (ewedu), washed and chopped — fresh or frozen
- 300 g lean beef, thinly sliced into strips
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp ground crayfish — optional
- 1 portion locust bean (iru) — optional, for flavor
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- to taste salt and pepper
Most ingredients here are everyday market staples across West Africa. A handful of specialty items may be easiest to find at a local open-air market or an African grocery store if you're elsewhere.
Instructions
- 1Season beef strips with salt and pepper and sear in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes; set aside.
- 2In the same pot, sauté onion until soft, then add broth and bring to a simmer.
- 3Add the chopped jute leaves and crayfish, and the locust beans if using, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- 4Use a whisk to briskly stir the leaves until slightly frothy and silky.
- 5Return the seared beef strips to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- 6Adjust seasoning and serve hot.