Nigeria · Soups
Egusi Soup (Nigerian Melon Seed Stew)
Egusi soup is one of Nigeria's most widely eaten soups — a thick, richly savoury stew built on ground egusi, the dried seeds of a West African melon.
Ingredients
- ground egusi seeds250 g
- beef chuck or shin, cut into 3 cm pieces600 g
- palm oil150 ml
- spinach300 g
- smoked fish150 g
- ground crayfish30 g
- Scotch bonnet pepper2 pcs
- onion2 pcs
- fermented African locust beans (iru)1 tbsp
- red bell pepper2 pcs
- stock cube1 pcs
- water, for boiling the beef1.2 l
Method
- 1Put the beef in a pot with salt, chopped onion, and the stock cube, and pour in 1.2 litres of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 45–60 minutes, until a fork goes into the meat easily. Reserve the meat and its stock separately; you need about 700 ml of stock for the soup.
- 2Mix the ground egusi with 4–5 tbsp of water into a thick paste and set aside. Blend the red bell pepper, Scotch bonnet, and remaining onion into a rough pepper mix.
- 3Heat the palm oil in a heavy pot, add the pepper mix, and fry over medium heat until the oil floats to the top and the sauce thickens, about 10–15 minutes.
- 4Drop the egusi paste in spoonfuls into the hot pepper base. Don't stir for 2–3 minutes so a crust forms, then fry gently, turning occasionally, 8–10 minutes until it smells nutty and roasted.
- 5Pour in about 700 ml of the reserved beef stock and stir to a thick but pourable soup. Add the cooked beef, flaked smoked fish, ground crayfish, and locust beans.
- 6Simmer on medium-low 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the flavours meld and the soup thickens. Add a little more stock if it stiffens too much; season with salt.
- 7Stir in the washed, chopped spinach and cook just 3–5 minutes so it keeps its colour. Serve hot with pounded yam, eba, or rice.