One Nigerian soup that is arguably very popular when talking about soups is egusi soup……….oh my, if you’re a woman and know how to cook egusi soup, your husband will never eat out.
I love my egusi soup with pounded yam……well, who doesn’t? Is it the attractive look it has when garnished with a lot of things or the unforgettable sweet taste that keeps you wanting more? Trust me, you can never go wrong with this soup.
A lot of tribes across Nigeria eat this soup starting from the Igbo people, to the Yorubas, the Hausas, and Edo people are not left out.
The Ibiobio people and the Efik people also eat egusi and this has brought about the question which tribe did egusi soup originated from? Talk about all popular Nigerian food and when you mention pounded yam, egusi soup is the next of kin.
With that being said I will be sharing with you how to cook egusi soup in different ways in this article, different vegetables that can be added to egusi soup and so much more.
How to Make Egusi Soup In Nigeria
There are different egusi soup recipe depending on who wants to make it, some people make their egusi soup with palm oil and some make theirs with vegetable oil. But more often than not, egusi soup is made with palm oil.
Let’s gets down to how to cook egusi soup also known as melon soup in Nigeria.
Ingredients Needed When Cooking Egusi Soup
These are the ingredients needed to make Nigerian egusi soup.
- Meat of your choice (beef, goat meat, assorted meat, chicken)
- Grinded egusi
- Palm oil
- Stock fish
- Dry smoked fish
- Ponmo
- Grinded crayfish
- Vegetable (ugwu, water leaf, pumpkin leaf etc)
- Locust beans (optional)
- Pepper
- Onions
- Maggi
- Salt
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Procedure for Making Egusi Soup
Here are quick easy steps to follow on how to prepare egusi soup:
STEP 1: Wash the meat and ponmo and put in a clean pot, spice it up with maggi, salt, ginger etc. and boil on to make it tender.
STEP 2: Soak the stock fish and dry fish in hot water for few minutes to make them soft. Make sure you pour in some salt into the hot water to be used.
STEP 3: Remove the meat from the fire when it is tender and put aside, remove bones from the stock fish and the dry fish and put them aside.
STEP 4: Put a clean pot on the fire and pour palm oil into it. Let it get hot but not bleached, add in onions and then pour in the egusi which has been mixed with water to become a paste and stir repeatedly to avoid it from getting burnt.
STEP 5: Pour in the stock (water) from the meat and add your grinded pepper with your locust beans and cover the pot. Let it cook for like 15 minutes.
STEP 6: Add the meat and ponmo with the stock fish and dry fish, then add maggi and salt to taste. Add a little water if it is too thick and cover to cook for another 10 minutes.
STEP 7: Add your sliced vegetables and stir together very well and cover to cook for a while, and then pour in your grinded crayfish and stir, then cover it for few more minutes.
Viola your egusi stew is ready to be served.
How to Cook Egusi Soup With Bitter Leaf
I said earlier that egusi can be cooked with different vegetables, now I would be telling you how to cook egusi soup with bitter leaf.
You know what; check out our student and family Nigerian food time table to see where you can slot this delicious soup in.
If you are scared that bitter leaf would make your egusi soup bitter, don’t be because you’ll have a nice taste once you follow these steps:
To make egusi soup with bitter leaf we will need the following:
- Grinded egusi
- Palm oil
- Stock fish
- Dry fish
- Meat of your choice
- Bitterleaf
- Locust beans
- Maggi
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onions
These are the steps to follow on how to cook egusi soup with bitter leaf:
STEP 1: Wash your bitter leaf in a clean bowl and squeeze out all its water, then in a clean pot boil the washed bitterleaf to soften it. Drain it and put aside once the bitterleaf is soft.
STEP 2: Cook your meat and soak the stock fish and dry fish in hot water for few minutes to soften them.
STEP 3: Put a clean pot on the fire and add palm oil, once the palm oil is hot pour in some diced onions and the grinded pepper, allow to cook for few minutes.
STEP 4: Mix your egusi with water and make it into a paste not too thick and not too watery, then add the egusi paste into the pot on the fire.
Add in the stock from your meat and the locust beans, then cover the pot and cook for few more minutes.
STEP 5: Pour in your cooked meat, smoked fish and dry fish add some water and then add your maggi and salt, then cover the pot for few more minutes.
STEP 6: Lastly, add your washed bitter leaf and stir together Cover the pot and allow to cook for 15 more minutes, and there you have it – your delicious efo elegusi is ready to be served.
Cooking Egusi Without Vegetables
Egusi soup can also be cooked without vegetables and this is common among the Yoruba’s, it is called osiki.
Now, I will be talking about how to cook egusi soup without vegetables. The ingredients needed on how to cook egusi soup without vegetables are:
- Egusi/melon seeds
- Palm oil
- Locust beans
- Grinded pepper
- Crayfish
- Onions
- Meat or fish of choice
- Salt and seasoning
The steps to follow on how to cook egusi soup without vegetables are as follows:
STEP 1: Pour the egusi seeds into a clean pot and put it on medium heat, wait till it starts to pop and turns brown but do not let it get burnt.
You will know that your egusi is done when the kitchen is filled with its aroma; remove from the heat and put aside to cool.
STEP 2: Blend the egusi with stock from the meat or fish and onions together.
STEP 3: Put a clean pot on the heat and pour in palm oil and when it’s heated up, pour in your locust beans and stir fry for a while, then add in pepper.
STEP 4: Add in crayfish, beef stock, the prawns and stir together then allow it to cook for a while.
STEP 5: Put the heat on low and add in your grinded melon and stir continuously to avoid the melon from becoming lumpy. If it is too thick you can add some water when the soup is lump free. You can now cover and allow it cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
STEP 6: Add salt and maggi to taste and if there is need, add in fish or meat and allow it to cook for few more minutes and your egusi is ready to be served.
There it is – your delicious egusi without vegetables is ready to be devoured with your eba, pounded yam or rice.
Also Read: How to make kunu drink in Nigeria
How to Cook Egusi With Tomatoes
To cook egusi with tomatoes, you need goat meat, dry fish, crayfish, dry pepper, habanero pepper (Ata rodo), palm oil, ugwu leaves, maggi, salt, onions and tomatoes
The steps to follow when cooking egusi with tomatoes are written below:
STEP 1: Blend tomatoes with onions and pour into a wire mesh sieve to remove excess water and put aside.
STEP 2: In a cooking pot boil the goat meat with chopped habanero pepper and season with salt and maggi. When the meat is done put aside; wash the dry fish and soak in warm water to soften it.
STEP 3: Mix egusi with lukewarm water and make it into a paste
STEP 4: Put a clean pot on heat and pour in your palm oil, when it is hot add in sliced onions and then pour in the sieved tomatoes and fry till the oil comes on top.
STEP 5: Reduce the heat and put in the egusi paste with spoon into the tomatoes little by little……. allow it to fry in the tomato sauce. When it has become lumpy stir together and allow it to cook for few minutes.
STEP 6: Add the goat meat, dry fish and some of the meat stock or water to reduce its thickness then add salt and maggi to taste. Now, allow to cook on low heat for few minutes.
STEP 7: Add in your vegetable leaves and dry pepper; fold it into the egusi soup and cover to cook for 5 more minutes. Once that is done, your egusi is ready to be served.
Also Read: How to make zobo drink in no time with video
How to Cook Egusi Soup (Summary)
There it is, how to cook egusi soup in different ways and enjoy it with whatever you wish to. Try these recipes and thank me later.
I’d love to hear from you, so drop your comments at the comment section and don’t forget to share on all social media platforms.
