Wondering how to cook Nigerian Egusi soup? Today, I will walk you through a step-by-step process of making a very delicious egusi soup that will have you licking your fingers.
Egusi soup is a popular and delicious dish in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria. It is made with ground melon seeds and various vegetables, meats, and fish.
It is best eaten with swallows such as Eba, Fufu, pounded yam, or semovita/semolina. Some people also eat it with white rice or yams.
Here is a simple recipe you can try:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ground egusi seeds
- Palm oil
- Blended Crayfish
- 1 onion, diced
- Ground scotch bonnet pepper(Atarodo)
- 4 big red tomatoes(blended)
- Meat of choice which could be goatmeat, beef, chicken, chicken gizzards, turkey wings, etc cut into small pieces
- Fresh/dried Fish (I love adding fresh Titus fish and dried catfish). This option is not entirely compulsory. You can skip it if you’re on a tight budget)
- Water
- Meat stock
- Chopped leafy greens (such as Pumpkin-Ugwu, or washed bitter leaf)
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
First, soak the Egusi with a little water-just enough to form a very thick paste and set aside.
Season and cook the meat and fish till it’s tender, then set aside
Heat the palm oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onions, then fry until the onions are translucent then pour the blended pepper and tomato, and allow to cook.
Now pour the thick egusi paste and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Occasionally stir so it doesn’t get burnt.
Add the beef, chicken, fish, ponmo, crayfish, and meat stock then cook for another 5 minutes.
Next, add some water to the top of the cooked egusi and stir. You may add some more water if you think your soup is too thick. and then add the leafy greens, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the soup for 5 minutes.
Season the soup with salt to taste.
Serve the soup hot, with rice or your choice of swallow( Eba, Semovita/Semolina, fufu, pounded yam).
There you have it! How to cook Nigerian egusi soup explained in the most basic way. Let me know if you found the article easy to understand in the comment section below my lovlies