Gbegiri Soup / Miyan Wake

Gbegiri (Hausa Miyan Wake)

Gbegiri  or Miyan Wake is a Nigerian soup that is indigenous to the Yoruba and Hausa tribe in Nigerian . Gbegiri / Miyan Wake is made with cooked dehulled beans(beans with no coat/hull), that has been mashed and enriched with palm oil,  fish(crayfish or smoked fish) and spices.

The Yorubas call it Gbegiri, while it is known as Miyan Wake in Hausa.Gbegiri/MiyanWake is a nutritious soup and taste real good. Here’s a basic recipe…Enjoy!

Ingredients for Gbegiri /Miyan Wake soup
*  100g Black Eyed or Brown Beans(washed and  dehulled i.e. coatless beans)
* 1 cooking spoon Red palm oil
* 1 tablespoonful ground crayfish or mashed smoked fish
 * 1 teaspoonful ground Iru/dawadawa ( fermented locust beans)(optional)
* 1 minced onion bulb (optional)
* 1  stock cube
* Pepper to taste
* Salt to taste

Cooking Directions for Gbegiri
1. Soak the beans overnight or for 2-3 hours. Rinse  and place in a pot.

2. Pour enough water to cover the beans  and leave to cook until very soft and mushy… you might need to add more water if necessary…

3. Now put of the heat and mash the beans until  smooth (I love to use a heat prove hand blender and blend it right in the pot) ;add the minced onion and ground iru ; pour the mix through a sieve and mash any beans you see .

4. Pour the extract back into the pot, mix well and set to boil. Add the red palm oil and cook until the red palm oil is blends with the white ground beans; the color of the soup should be yellow.

5. Finally, add the ground crayfish, stock cube, pepper and salt to taste; Leave to simmer for about 3 minutes..and your Gbegiri /Miyan Wake soup is ready.Enjoy!

Gbegiri /Miyan Wake soup is added to other Nigerian soups and stews such as Ewedu soup(jute leave soup), Obe ata dindin, Okra soup & Ogbono soup and eaten with Amala, Tuwo Masara, Tuwo shinkafa, Fufu and Starch bolus meal.

By Nky Lily Lete