Methods of cooking egusi soup
Egusi can be cooked with different methods.
Frying method: Fry ground melon seed paste in palm oil first before adding other ingredients.
Boiling method: You make your egusi in balls, then boil it
Ingredients
Grounded melon
smoked turkey
Smoked Mackerel
salt
Beef stock cubes
Nigerian pepper mix
Dried Prawns
Iru woro or pete (locust beans): substitute with ogiri or omit if you do not have it
Palm oil
Spinach: any type of spinach can be used but I used baby spinach
Preparation
Add ground melon to a bowl, add about a cup of water and mix to form a paste then set aside. Wash and chop the spinach, drain in a colander and set aside.
Place a big pan on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 3 minutes (Do not bleach oil) add the reserved chopped onions and Sautee till translucent
Add pepper mix, locust beans and stir to combine. Bring to boil for 5 minutes.
Add the egusi paste in bits to pepper, reduce the heat, do not stir and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, and gently stir the soup. The egusi would be lumpy at this point, use the back of a ladle to break the lumps it into desired size/texture
Add smoked turkey, ground crayfish and crayfish, beef stock (if using) and stir to combine. Add bouillon cubes, taste and adjust accordingly. I didn’t add salt to this soup as the smoked turkey and mackerel already contained salt. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, check at intervals and stir to avoid burning if need be
Add shredded smoked mackerel and gently stir into the soup. Add chopped spinach, stir to combine and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Take it off the heat, allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving
Serve and enjoy with any Nigerian swallow of choice, you can even serve over white rice. Not afraid to try new things, cool, then we are related. you may also enjoy this soup with freshly baked Agege bread.
