How to make eba with garri
Eba is a soft, stretchy dough made by stirring garri — dried, fermented cassava granules — into hot water. It is one of the most common "swallows" in Nigeria, eaten by hand with soups such as egusi, okra and ogbono.
Eba made with Ijebu garri is firmer and slightly sour. Yellow garri, which is processed with palm oil, gives a softer, milder eba. Both use the same method.
- Prep
- 2 mins
- Cook
- 5 mins
- Total
- 7 mins
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 300ml freshly boiled water
- about 200g garri
Method
- Boil the kettle. Pour 300ml of the boiling water into a heatproof bowl or small pot.
- Sprinkle the garri evenly over the surface of the water, a handful at a time, until it just covers the water. Do not stir yet.
- Leave it for about a minute so the garri absorbs the water.
- Fold and press the garri with a wooden spatula, working from the edges into the middle, until there are no dry patches and no lumps.
- Check the texture. If it is too soft, sprinkle in a little more garri and fold again. If it is too firm, add a tablespoon of hot water.
- Shape the eba into balls with a wet spatula or wet hands and serve straight away with your soup.
Tips
- The water must be properly hot. Lukewarm water leaves the eba grainy and lumpy.
- Adding garri to water, not water to garri, is what keeps it smooth.
- Cover any eba you are not serving immediately so a skin does not form.
Ingredients from our shop
- Africa King Ijebu Gari 4kg — Ijebu garri for a firmer, slightly sour eba.
- Ijebu Garri & Poundo Essentials — Garri and poundo yam flour together, for both swallows.
Check the allergen information on each product page and on the pack before cooking.
Questions
Why is my eba lumpy?
The water was not hot enough, or it was stirred before the garri had absorbed it. Use freshly boiled water, let the garri sit for a minute, then fold rather than stir.
What is the ratio of garri to water for eba?
Start with about 300ml of boiling water to 200g of garri and adjust from there. Ijebu garri absorbs more water than yellow garri, so it usually needs a little extra.
What do you eat eba with?
Eba is eaten with Nigerian soups — egusi, okra, ogbono, efo riro and banga soup are the most common. Pinch off a piece, dip it in the soup and eat it by hand.