How to Cook Egusi (Melon) Soup: “Chief Nigerian Cuisine”

A friend once asked me “Sammy, as a guy, do you cook?” I gave him one simple response: I Find Joy in Cooking.

I’ll be taking you through the steps to prepare a delicious Egusi soup. (This is for my Non-Nigerian friends. A typical Nigerian adult should be able to cook Egusi soup, as this is the most popular Nigerian soup. Well, I wouldn’t actually assume everyone can.. Lol). 

There are two different egusi recipes that I know about, I am going to talk about the most popular egusi.

The simple difference between these two recipes is that you fry the egusi in the first recipe while for the other recipe; you just add it at the later end.

THE INGREDIENTS INCLUDE:

(For 5 to 7 serving)

• 3 cups of egusi

• stuck fish head

• meat(turkey, beef, chicken, or assorted meat)

• Onions (1 medium-sized bulb)

• fresh leaf (Ugu or bitter leaf)

• 3 cubes of maggi (seasoning)

• salt

• 2 medium-sized round dry fish

• Local Seasoning (ogiri or dawadawa or okpei)

• About five to ten fresh pepper 

• Palm Oil (15cl)

STEPS/PREPARATION

Blend the egusi and set aside, wash the meat and season it. Cook it until it is tender and soft. In seasoning the meat, I use just 2 cubes of maggi, 1 bulb of onions, salt, half sachet of delice or onga spice (optional).

Dissolve the already ground egusi in a bowl of cold water to have a thick egusi syrup and set aside. 

 Heat your pot and add about 15cl of palm oil or less.

Heat the red oil in a pot for two minutes (but don't allow to bleach) then add the egusi mixture and stir. 

Cook and stir the mixture until it loses its coagulation due to water loss from frying (you must stir continuously to avoid burning).

Wash the dry fish with warm water, and also remove the centre bone, wash thoroughly to remove sands and impurities.

Blend the crayfish and the fresh pepper differently.

Add the already cooked meat (plus meat stock), dried fish, crayfish/pepper, stock fish, local seasoning (optional) and salt.

Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, then add maggi, and the leaf. Taste for salt and you are done.

You may serve with eba, fufu, garri, semo, pounded yam (which happens to be my favorite) or even rice.