What Is Ekuru? The Nigerian White Moi Moi Explained
Ekuru is a plain white Yoruba bean pudding, steamed with no seasoning inside and served under a rich pepper and palm oil sauce. Here is what it is.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Ekuru is a plain white Nigerian bean pudding from the Yoruba south-west, made by blending peeled black-eyed beans with just a little water and salt, then steaming the mixture until firm. Unlike moi moi, nothing is added inside, no pepper, oil, onion or seasoning, so it comes out pale and mild, which is why it is often called white moi moi or ekuru funfun. It is always eaten with a separate rich sauce of ground pepper and palm oil poured over the top, sometimes with locust beans and crayfish, and often alongside eko (agidi). In the UK the peeled beans, palm oil and dried pepper to make it are sold by Nigerian and African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Ekuru is a plain white Yoruba bean pudding, steamed with nothing added inside.
- It is made from peeled black-eyed beans blended with only a little water and salt.
- It differs from moi moi, which has pepper, onion, oil and seasoning mixed in.
- It is served under a separate rich sauce of ground pepper and palm oil.
- It is often eaten with eko (agidi) and is also called white moi moi or ekuru funfun.
There is a particular pleasure in ekuru that anyone from the Yoruba south-west knows well: the plain, gentle bean pudding on its own, and then the moment the fiery red pepper and palm oil sauce is spooned over it. That contrast, mild and rich, cool and hot, is the whole point, and it is the taste of an unhurried morning at home, of food made with care rather than rush.
For Nigerians in Britain, ekuru carries the memory of markets and mothers, of a dish that asks for patience and rewards it. It is humble food, beans and water and salt, yet it becomes something special the instant the sauce arrives. To make it far from home is to keep a quiet tradition alive, and to serve someone their first plate of white moi moi under its glossy red sauce is to hand them a piece of it.
What Ekuru Actually Is
Ekuru is a steamed bean pudding from the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria, and its defining feature is its plainness. Peeled black-eyed beans are blended with only a little water and a pinch of salt into a smooth, light batter, then wrapped and steamed until it sets firm. Nothing else goes inside: no pepper, no oil, no onion, no seasoning. The result is pale, soft and mild, which is exactly why it is so often described as white moi moi, or ekuru funfun in Yoruba, funfun meaning white.
This is what sets ekuru apart from moi moi, the better known Nigerian food it resembles. Moi moi is the same family of bean pudding, but its batter is enriched with blended pepper, onion, oil and seasonings, and often studded with egg, fish or corned beef, so it emerges savoury and coloured. Ekuru deliberately leaves all of that out, and instead the flavour is delivered by a separate sauce spooned over at the table. It is a dish built on contrast, plain pudding and bold sauce, and once you have tasted the pairing the simplicity makes perfect sense.
On the plate, then, ekuru is really two things working together: the calm, pale pudding and the fiery red sauce that transforms it. On its own the pudding tastes clean and beany, faintly nutty, with a soft set that yields easily to a fork. It is meant to be neutral, a canvas rather than the finished picture. The sauce provides the heat, the salt and the depth, so no two plates of ekuru taste quite the same, since every cook seasons their sauce to their own hand. That is part of the appeal, and part of why people who grew up on it feel so strongly about how it should be made.
How Ekuru Is Made and Served
Making ekuru begins with peeling the beans, rubbing the skins off the black-eyed beans so the pudding comes out clean and white. The peeled beans are blended with a small amount of water, kept fairly thick, and seasoned with nothing more than salt. The batter is then poured into wraps of leaf or into moulds and steamed until firm to the touch, the same gentle steaming that gives moi moi its texture. Kept plain like this, the pudding sets into a mild, slightly springy pale block.
The sauce is where ekuru comes alive. It is a rich, spicy blend of ground pepper and palm oil, cooked down to a deep red, and often given more depth with locust beans (iru) and crayfish. This sauce is poured generously over the plain pudding so that every mild forkful is coated in heat and richness. The palm oil gives it its glossy colour and characteristic flavour, the ground pepper brings the heat, and where locust beans and crayfish are used they add a savoury, fermented depth that is typical of Yoruba cooking. The classic pairing is ekuru with this red ata sauce, and it is frequently served with eko, also known as agidi, the smooth maize pudding that makes a cool, soft partner to the whole plate. Together they form a much loved traditional meal, and many people eat ekuru this way for breakfast or as a light, satisfying lunch.
Why Ekuru Matters in Nigeria
Ekuru is a traditional Yoruba dish with real cultural standing in the south-west, a homemade favourite that has been eaten for generations. It shows a thoughtful approach to cooking beans, keeping the pudding pure and letting a separate sauce carry all the flavour, an idea that rewards a cook who takes their time. It is the kind of dish people associate with proper, unhurried home cooking rather than fast food.
Because it is plain in itself, ekuru is also gentle and versatile, and the boldness is added to taste through the sauce spooned over it. That gentleness makes it friendly to all ages and to anyone who prefers to control their own heat, since the pudding can be eaten with as little or as much sauce as you like. For many Yoruba families it is comfort food and heritage in one, a reminder that the simplest ingredients, beans and water and salt, can become something people look forward to when treated the traditional way.
Where to Buy Ekuru Ingredients in the UK
Ekuru is a homemade dish, and everything you need to make it is easy to gather in Britain from Nigerian and African food shops. You will want peeled black-eyed beans, or whole beans to peel yourself, along with palm oil, dried or fresh pepper for the sauce, and, if you like the traditional version, locust beans (iru) and crayfish. Shops serving Nigerian customers reliably stock these, including the palm oil and dried crayfish that give the sauce its authentic flavour. None of it is hard to find, so ekuru is very achievable at home. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What is ekuru?
Ekuru is a plain white bean pudding from the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria, made by blending peeled black-eyed beans with a little water and salt and steaming the mixture until firm. Unlike moi moi, nothing is added inside, so it is pale and mild, which is why it is called white moi moi or ekuru funfun. It is always eaten with a separate rich sauce of ground pepper and palm oil poured over the top.
What is the difference between ekuru and moi moi?
Both are steamed black-eyed bean puddings, but the difference is what goes inside. Moi moi has blended pepper, onion, oil and seasoning mixed into the batter, and often egg, fish or corned beef, so it is savoury and coloured. Ekuru is left completely plain, just beans, water and salt, and comes out white; its flavour comes entirely from a rich pepper and palm oil sauce spooned over it at the table.
What do you eat ekuru with?
Ekuru is served under a separate rich sauce of ground pepper and palm oil, often deepened with locust beans and crayfish, poured generously over the plain pudding. It is traditionally paired with this red ata sauce, and it is frequently eaten alongside eko, also called agidi, the smooth maize pudding that makes a cool, soft partner to the dish.
Does ekuru contain shellfish or allergens?
The pudding itself is just black-eyed beans, water and salt, so it is naturally free of shellfish. Shellfish only comes in if crayfish is added to the accompanying sauce, which is common in the traditional version, so anyone with a shellfish allergy should check the sauce or leave the crayfish out. Made plainly, both the pudding and a crayfish-free sauce suit a vegan meal.
Where can I buy ekuru ingredients in the UK?
Ekuru is made at home, so Nigerian and African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients: peeled black-eyed beans, palm oil, dried pepper and, for the traditional sauce, locust beans and crayfish. Shops serving Nigerian customers stock the palm oil and dried crayfish that give the authentic flavour. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.