Egusi Soup
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Ground egusi (melon seeds) — 300 g (10.5 oz)
- Assorted meat (beef, tripe), cooked — 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
- Stockfish or dried fish, softened — 200 g (7 oz)
- Chopped leafy greens (spinach or ugu) — 140 g (5 oz)
- Onion, chopped — 1
- Palm oil — 3 tbsp
- Ground crayfish — 2 tbsp
- Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped — 1
- Meat or fish stock — 480 ml (16 fl oz)
- Salt — to taste
Method
- Heat the palm oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until softened.
- Mix the ground egusi with a little water to form a thick paste, then add it to the pot in spoonfuls, allowing each to fry briefly before adding the next.
- Add the stock, cooked meat, stockfish and ground crayfish, and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the egusi has cooked through and the soup has thickened.
- Add the scotch bonnet and chopped greens, and simmer for a further 5–8 minutes.
- Season with salt and serve hot with pounded yam or fufu.
Introduction: A rich, hearty soup thickened with ground melon seeds and packed with leafy greens and meat, one of Nigeria's most beloved everyday dishes.
Cultural Background: Egusi soup showcases the Nigerian love of thick, deeply savoury soups eaten with pounded starches, its ground melon seed base a defining ingredient found across many Nigerian ethnic culinary traditions.
Tips: Frying the egusi paste in spoonfuls before fully combining helps develop its characteristic slightly grainy, rich texture. Simmer long enough for the egusi to lose any raw taste and fully thicken the soup.
Variations: Add smoked fish for extra depth. Use bitter leaf in place of ugu for a different regional variation.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout.
FAQs:
Q: What is egusi?
A: Ground melon seeds, used across West Africa to thicken and enrich soups, giving egusi soup its distinctive texture.
Q: What is egusi soup traditionally eaten with?
A: Pounded yam, fufu, or eba, all serving as a starchy accompaniment to scoop up the soup.
- Ground egusi (melon seeds) — 300 g (10.5 oz)
- Assorted meat (beef, tripe), cooked — 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
- Stockfish or dried fish, softened — 200 g (7 oz)
- Chopped leafy greens (spinach or ugu) — 140 g (5 oz)
- Onion, chopped — 1
- Palm oil — 3 tbsp
- Ground crayfish — 2 tbsp
- Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped — 1
- Meat or fish stock — 480 ml (16 fl oz)
- Salt — to taste
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