Nigerian Egusi Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup ground egusi (melon seeds)
• 500g beef or goat, cubed
• 200g smoked fish, flaked
• 3 tbsp palm oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 thumb ginger
• 2 Scotch bonnets, blended (less for milder)
• 3 tbsp ground crayfish (optional)
• 1 stock cube
• 500g spinach or amaranth leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cook the beef in 1 litre salted water with onion, ginger, garlic for 40 min; reserve broth.
2. Heat palm oil; soften remaining onion.
3. Mix the ground egusi with a little water to a paste; add to the oil and fry for 5 min.
4. Add tomato paste and blended Scotch bonnets.
5. Pour in the meat broth and meat; simmer 15 min — the soup should look "broken" with egusi lumps.
6. Add smoked fish, crayfish and stock cube.
7. Stir in the greens last 5 min.

Serving suggestions

• Eat with pounded yam, eba, or fufu.

Storage & reheating

Keeps 4 days; freezes well.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is not yet available for this recipe. Values vary with portion size and exact ingredients — we will add verified figures here soon.

Frequently asked questions