A step-by-step guide on How to Make Egusi Soup in the Igala style. Or the way my dear mum taught me. Without much waste of time, let us dive into the ingredients.
Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour.
My name is Blessing Ameh and I am the co-founder and creative director at A.I. Cameron Ltd. Aberdeen. Cooking is at the top of my list of things I do for fun, and things I do to relax. I love to cook for family and friends. In this post, all references to local or native ingredients point to ingredients that can be gotten or bought easily from the market.
I wish I could hug you right now! Thank you for the soup. Even though my wife is not into spices, she enjoyed your egusi soup. My daughter loved the salt and garlic chicken. Thank you! –Martins from Aberdeen.
I started to learn how to cook at age eight. I stood by to watch my mother cook. My dearest mother is one of the best cooks alive in my opinion. While her methods may be orthodox and her ingredients 'humble', she turned around every simple ingredient into tasty and healthy meals for us.
By the time I turned fourteen, I could make yam and egg sauce, Okro Soup, Fresh fish stew, and yours truly, Egusi soup. Growing up in a big household that had regular visitors, I learned to cook for over twenty people.
Egusi soup never missed a chance on the family weekly menu because it was and still is my dad's favorite. So, I perfected the art of making a sumptuous and yummy pot of Egusi soup.
How to Make Delicious Egusi Soup.
Here is a list of the ingredients you need to make a delicious pot of Egusi soup. This recipe feeds 4-6 adults.
2 litres of clean water
200 grams of cleaned, blended Egusi (Melon seed)
1/2 kg of Beef
1/2 kg of Goatmeat (optional)
2 Medium ponmo(optional)
3 Stock cubes (Star or Knorr cubes)
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
I have large red/purple onions
1 cup finely chopped ugu leaves or Spinach( 'Efo' 'Aleho')
1/4 cup of bitter leaf (optional)
20 grams of Okpehe (Traditional seasoning made from cleaned, peeled, cooked, and cured locust beans)- The star ingredient
200 mls palm oil
1/2 cup crayfish
Smoked/Dried Catfish (optional)
Finely ground bonga fish (optional)
Finely ground stockfish (optional)
Finely ground chilies or powdered Cameroon pepper.
Passive Income Opportunity- Sign up with Adsterra and start earning today. Monetize your Instagram, TikTok tok, and Facebook Content with Adstettera.
Kindly read the terms and conditions of the Adsterra company before signing up. Signing up is easy, confirmation and verification in a few minutes.
Method for making a delicious pot of Egusi Soup
Tips: Kneading your blended Egusi gives the soup a nice texture.
Aim and source for unadulterated palm oil- make a whole lot of difference
Toasting your egusi before blending gives it a nice smoky aroma in place of the 'strong egusi smell'
Into a clean stock pot, add cleaned, chopped beef, two stock cubes, and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, half a cup of chopped onions, 1/4 teaspoon of ground yellow pepper.
While your beef is cooking, carefully wash the smoked fish, pick out the bones carefully, and set aside.
Rinse your ugu leaves if you had them cut in the market. Pick sticks and unwanted-weak-looking ugu leaves.
Blend your egusi in the food processor bit for dry foods until smooth.
Blend the remainder of the onions with some water, once smooth, add the mixture to the dry blended egusi. If you Okpehe is in powdered form, or soft enough to be worked into the Egusi mix.
Start mixing the egusi almost like you are kneading flour. The more you knead, it starts to release its natural oil. It starts changing from a creamy white paste to a darker shade.
Check to see the texture of the beef. If you aim for a prime cut, your beef should be close to being tender.
Taste the stock, and adjust the salt if necessary.
Once the beef/goat meat/ kponmo is tender, add some unadulterated palm oil, and opehe, and let it cook on slow heat for five minutes.
Add your bonga fish powder, and stockfish powder, and leave some aside for finishing.
Then, add your 'kneaded' egusi in balls. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, stir, and allow to cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
Finally, add the last seasoning cube, clean vegetables, remainder of powder stock and crayfish, remainder of chili, and 1/4 cup of finely chopped onions.
Turn the heat down to the lowest and cook for 3 minutes. Check and adjust seasoning/salt. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
Tip: Build your flavours by systematically adding ingredients to the pots. Ingredients such as beef or goat meat which take a longer time before releasing it flavours can be marinated with stock cubes, garlic and ginger overnight.
Egusi soup can be accompanied by a side of rice, yam, cassava dumplings, corm meals, and other carbohydrates. If you have tried this method, kindly let me know how it came out in the comments section.
