How to cook Nigerian Egusi soup ?

Nigerian Egusi soup is by far the most common Nigerian soup yet. From home kitchens to “bukas“( small eateries), to five star restaurants in Kano, Aba, Lagos and Uyo, this soup appears on many menu lists. As with most dishes regional variations in the recipe abound. You hear of Yoruba Egusi, Ibo Egusi , Plasas. Ghanians use it in Kontomire a soup cooked with egusi and cocoyam leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main ingredient in Nigerian Egusi soup is the melon seed which is rich in oils and protein.  With the oil content of the melon seed, you should be very economical in the use of palm oil. Rather you can use ground tomatoes to brighten the colour of your soup.
The method of having small chunks of Egusi in the soup is somewhat a southwest Nigeria style,whilst the south east version has the Egusi more dispersed in the soup.

Vegetables like bitter leaves ,ugwu, water leaves , spinach are perfect for your Egusi soup. The Melon seed itself has many variants, Ibo or Yoruba. The traders in the market sell the hand peeled version more expensive than machine peel. Talk of “designer” version.

I prefer to use the Ibo version because of its thickening characteristic. My twist in this recipe is the roasting of the Egusi and the use of plenty of onion.  I find that the roasting of the Egusi takes out the raw Egusi flavor and reduces soup cooking time as you do not have to boil the soup for long. More importantly the flavour of the soup is so much appealing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am using water leaves and bitter leaves  another combination that works well with this soup. In Calabar, this version is called Plasas, actually the older women call it “brasas”.Plasas is borrowed from Sierra Leone  where a similar soup exists.
Served with practically every carbohydrate accompaniment, Nigerian Egusi Soup remains a winner in Nigeria on the Nigerian soup list

Recipe for Nigerian Egusi Soup

Ingredient

8 pieces Beef
Eight pieces Cowskin
8 small pieces Shaki (beef tripe) (optional)
4 pieces Stockfish chunks
2 handfuls smoked  Fish
21/2 cups Egusi
4 handfuls Water leaves( chopped)
2 balls Bitter leaves (washed and chopped)
Two cooking spoons Tomatoes/Pepper blend
2 large onion bulb( chopped)
21/2 cup smoked Prawns

1 table spoon Crayfish( ground)
4 bulbs yellow Pepper or to taste
1 beef seasoning cube( for boiling beef)
1 crayfish seasoning tablet
2 cooking spoons Palm oil
2 liters Water
Salt to taste

Method

1,Season  the beef, shaki, and pomo with beef seasoning, 1/2 onion, 2 chopped yellow pepper and salt, steam in the meat juice till dry, this helps the seasoning to get into the meat very well.
2, Add water and continue to boil till meat is almost cooked.
3, Depending on texture of stock fish add at begining or when meat is almost cooked.
4,  Whe meat is almost cooked add washed smoked fish and shrimps ground crayfish and cook for 10 minutes.

5,  Set pot of meat aside whilst you prepare other ingredients.
6, Pour previously washed and sun dried Egusi into a dry frying pan or pot an dry fry .
7, Fry Egusi until some seeds start to pop like pop corn, but do not allow to brown. Frying for about 5 minutes is fine.
8, Allow Egusi to cool and blend.
9, Heat the palm oil , add remaining chopped onion fry for 1 minute and add tomatoes/pepper blend and fry for 10 minutes.
10, Pour in the meat stock and crayfish seasoning, about 2litres of water and boil for 10 minutes
11, Add the ground Egusi and cook for 6minutes. Taste for salt
12, Pour in the meat and cook for 5 minutes
13, Add the vegetables and a cook for another 3 minutes and soup is ready