Nigerian Egusi Soup

Egusi soup is unarguably the most popular Nigerian soup. In my few years as a food blogger and Nigerian food lover, I have learned that different recipes exist across different Nigerian ethnic groups.

The Yorubas make efo elegusi while the Igbos make ofe egusi, all with similar ingredients but with slightly different approaches.

This is how to make egusi soup with lumps… the kind you only get to eat when you visit a 5-star restaurant or hotel 😀

Like I stated on the introductory page; Nigerian egusi soup is the most popular around here.

What you find below is a delicious plate of egusi soup and fufu, a popular Nigeria combination.

Ingredients For Egusi Soup

Serving: 12

preparation time: 80 minutes

1KG or 2.2lb beef
4 cups of egusi (melon)
1lb or 500g Roasted fish.
Half a cup of ground crayfish
a handful of sliced ugu (fluted pumpkin) leaves
2 seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste (scotch bonnet).
One medium-sized Stock fish head (okporoko)
20g Dawadawa or opkei (local ingredients)

The above-listed ingredients will make a large pot of egusi soup. See the bottom of this page. This soup will serve a family of 4 persons three times. You can always refrigerate leftovers.

This recipe shows you how to prepare Egusi soup with lumps, the kind you only find in posh restaurants and eateries.

Preparation

Step 1

Grind the four cups of egusi with a dry blender or hand-grinding machine and set them aside in a bowl. Add about a cup of water to it and stir to make a very thick paste, as you can see below.

Step  2

Parboil the meat with all the ingredients, it is advisable to parboil meat with some ingredients before adding them to the principal food, this improves the taste of the meat.

Step 3

Parboil for about ten minutes, then add water and cook till the meat is tender and the stock (water) is about to dry. Use two seasoning cubes, a teaspoon of salt and a half cup of sliced onions.

Step 4

Pour hot water over the stockfish in a bowl and wash thoroughly to remove sand, then set aside. Also, remove the center bone from the roasted fishes, wash and set aside too.

How to make Egusi Soup with Bitterleaf

Step 5

Set your cooking pot on the fire and add 300ml of palm oil (red oil), allow to heat for a minute but don’t allow to bleach. Add the egusi paste and keep stirring for the next eight to ten minutes to form seed-like crumbs. See the image below.

Then transfer the already cooked meat into the pot, stir.

Step 8

Add the washed dry fish, stockfish, ground crayfish, a seasoning cube, ground scotch bonnet pepper, and 2 cups of water. Then cover halfway and allow boiling for the next ten minutes.

Step 9

Stir occasionally to avoid burning. One spoon of ground dawadawa (local ingredients), and a taste for salt and pepper.

Add a handful of sliced utazi leaves.

Allow to simmer on low heat for 2 minutes, stir, and you just made a delicious pot of egusi soup

How to Serve Egusi Soup

This is how you make the best Egusi soup with lumps, the kind you only find in posh restaurants and eateries. 😀

You can serve with eba or fufu, in fact, any of the Nigerian swallows will make an impressive combination

What is Nigerian swallow? Learn all about it and all other ‘swallow recipes’

I also enjoy eating this soup and pounded yam together.

Egusi Soup and Pounded yam

The most popular way to serve this soup is to pair with pounded yam. If you are desiring a delicious plate of egusi soups and pounded yam, prepare them separately.

Follow the recipe on this page to make the soup.

Pounded yam is just boiled yam that underwent the process of pounding 😀

Recipes exist that have taken away the strenuous process of pounding. I learned you could make pounded yam with blenders or just buy yam flour and do it the easy way.

Here is the recipe for Pounded Yam

When you are done, you can serve both together.

Note: This soup can also be made with fluted pumpkin, they should follow the same process, the only difference is that bitter leaves should be replaced with fluted pumpkin leaves.

A combination of Ofe Egusi and Pounded Yam would be perfect for lunch

Egusi Soup Recipe

Chef Chidi

Egusi soup is the most popular soup in Nigeria, this recipe shows you how to make the most delicious kind... the kind of egusi soup with lumps.

I have tried several egusi soup recipes but this prove to be more delicious.

To make this recipe unique I had to fry the egusi with palm oil instead of adding it the usual way.

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Nigerian Cuisine

Servings 12 People

Calories 489 kcal

Equipment

• Cooker
• Pots

Ingredients

  

• 2 KG Assorted meat
• 4 cups of egusi melon
• Roasted Mackrel about two medium sizes
• Half cup of ground crayfish
• 2 cups of washed bitter leaves
• 3 seasoning cubes
• 300 ml of palm oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste scotch bonnet.
• One medium-sized Stock fish head okporoko
• 20 g Dawadawa or opkei local ingredients

Instructions

 

• Set a cooking pot on heat and allow drying. add the palm oil and allow to heat for 2 minutes but don't let it bleach.
• Disolve the egusi seeds in a cup of water and add to the heated oil.
• Fry the dissolved egusi seeds in palm oil for the next 8-10 minutes. Always stir to avoid burning it.
• Once the egusi is fried, add 6 cups of water, the cooked meat, stir. add the roasted fish, stockfish, ground crayfish, a seasoning cube, ground scotch bonnet pepper then cover and allow to boil for the next ten minutes.
• Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
• Add the already washed bitter leaves, one spoon of ground dawadawa (local ingredients), taste for salt and pepper.
• Allow to boils for ten minutes, stir in between.
• Serve Egusi soup and garri (eba), alternatively, you could serve with pounded yam.
• This is how you make the best Egusi soup with lumps, the kind you only find in posh restaurants and eateries. ?

Keyword Efo Elegusi, Egusi soup recipe, Ofe egusi

Here is The complete List of All Nigerian Soups

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