Nigerian
Egusi soup
A rich soup of ground melon seeds, palm oil, leafy greens and assorted meat and fish. Serve with pounded yam, eba or fufu.
Prep 25 mins · Cook 45 mins · Serves 4
Ingredients
- Ground egusi (melon seeds)300 g
- Red palm oil150 ml
- Goat meat or beef800 g
- Dried stockfish1 piece
- Ground crayfish3 tbsp
- Ugu or spinach1 bunch
- Scotch bonnet peppers2
- Iru (locust beans) (optional)1 tbsp
- Seasoning cubes2
- Swallow (poundo yam or garri)to serve
Method
- Season the meat with an onion, a seasoning cube and salt, then boil until tender. Keep the stock.
- Soak and flake the stockfish, then add it to the meat for the last 15 minutes.
- Mix the egusi with a little water into a thick paste.
- Heat the palm oil gently (don't let it smoke), then fry the egusi paste in small lumps for 5 minutes.
- Add the meat stock, crayfish, pepper and iru. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Add the meat, fish and chopped greens. Cook for 5 more minutes and serve with your favourite swallow.