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Dish

Ekuru Agoyin

Also called Ekuru and agoyin sauce, White moi moi and agoyin

Snack

What it is

Plain steamed ekuru served with agoyin sauce, a dark, very hot pepper sauce made by frying blended dried peppers, onions and sometimes locust beans in a generous amount of palm oil until almost black.

Key ingredients

  • Peeled beans
  • Dried red peppers
  • Onions
  • Palm oil
  • Iru (locust beans, optional)
  • Ground crayfish
  • Salt

A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.

How it is eaten

The ekuru is broken onto a plate and the black sauce spooned over it, eaten with bread, agidi or on its own.

Cultural significance

The agoyin sauce is traced in Lagos to traders and cooks of Egun and Togolese and Beninese origin, the same tradition that gives ewa agoyin its name. Pairing that dark sauce with unseasoned ekuru is a Lagos and Ogun street food combination, sold from early morning by sellers who make both parts themselves.

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