Egusi soup is a Nigerian dish famous all over the country
that is made mainly from Melon seeds and is consumed mainly in the southern part
of the country where the yorubas and igbos are found.
The soup is also known as miyan Gushi in Hausa ofe Egusi and
also obe Efo Elegusi. The soup is made distinctively with Melon seeds Meat and
dried fish with vegetables sparingly.
- Egusi Seeds (Melon) 3 cup fulls or 600 grams
- 2 cooking spoons of Red Palm oil
- Beef, dry fish and fish stock
- Some crayfish and shaki cow tripe
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Some vegetables. Either bitter leaf or pumpkin leaves
- Some seasoning. Knorr or royco cubes (3)
- Traditional seasoning. Okpei (optional)
- Firstly soak the dry fish for half an hour. If using tough stockfish boil for twenty minutes then leave standing for an hour.
- When the stockfish and the fish are soft enough debone them and break them into smaller chunks.
- When you are just about to cook grind your egusi (melon Seeds) with a dry mill or use a spice grinder like this one. Grind the pepper and crayfish separately and cover in a bowl. Wash your vegetables and cut into small pieces.
- Boil your stock fish, shaki and dry fish in a 1 litre pot of water with your three cubes of knorr until they are thouroughly done. When the shaki is done it will start curling on itself and that’s when you know its ready.
- Wash your beef for the soup then add it to the pot and cook while on medium heat until ready.
Cooking Instructions
There are mainly two methods of
preparing Egusi soup and they are called Egusi before oil and oil before Egusi.
Oil before Egusi
- First put two spoons of oil in to a pot and heat. When the palm oil becomes clearer add in the grounded Egusi and fry it. This should be on low heat so that it doesn’t burn. Keep on frying until you see that the Egusi is getting dry. Do not let it stick to the bottom too much.
- Now add the fish stock/shaki a little at a time and stir the egusi. If the fish stock is exhausted and you still feel the soup is too thick add in more water. At this point you can add in the bitter leaf.
- Cover it and cook on medium heat for about thirty minutes. When the palm oil rises to the top of the mix separating from the egusi then it is done. At this point add the meat and shaki and peppers plus salt to taste. If you used pumpkin leaf which is softer instead of bitterleaf you can add it at this point.
- Cover the soup and let it boil for at least 15 minutes.
At this point the Egusi soup is ready and
can be served with cassava fufu or pounded yam.
Egusi before oil
This is the method that I like using as it
produces better and healthier Egusi soup because there is no frying.
- For this method when the meat ,shaki and fish are prepared take them out of the stock and put them in a different plate or pot.
- Add on the grounded egusi to the stock then stir.
- Cover it and cook until the egusi hardens (cakes). Stir it and add a little more water and be careful not to let it burn.
- Repeat the third step above while adding just a small amount of water slowly. After some twenty five minutes you will see that clear oil from the Egusi rises to the surface of the mixture.
- Add in two spoons of the red palm oil plus bitterleaf if this is what you choose as vegitables . Add also the pepper plus salt to taste then cook for seven minutes.
- Now you can put the fish and the meat in and if you are using pumpkin leaves or other soft greens add them in now and stir then leave to simmer for two minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat and let it cool abit before serving.
You
can now have the soup with your choice of other foods like rice fufu or pounded yam. Enjoy