EGUSI SOUP

 EGUSI SOUP

The Egusi soup, prepared with melon seeds, is prepared by most tribes in different ways. There are two (2) ways to prepare Egusi soup either by cooking or by frying. It is known as Miyan Gushi in Hausa, Ofe Egusi in Igbo and Efo Elegusi in Yoruba. Egusi soup is also one of the most popular soups.

Ingredients

• 500g Egusi (Melon) seeds
• Vegetable: pumpkin (Ugu) leaves, spinach or bitter leaf
• 3-4 cooking spoons red palm oil
• Fish: dry fish and stockfish
• Beef: best cut and Shaki (cow tripe)
• 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
• 3 small stock cubes
• Pepper and Salt (to taste)
• 1 small ogiri okpei (optional)

Things you need to know about the ingredients

1.      You must use enough palm oil because it is the palm oil that will turn every grain of the ground egusi yellow. If the ground egusi is not well coated, it will burn during frying and the resulting Egusi Soup will be dry and have a burnt taste. If you are concerned about the quantity of palm oil you will used for this soup, it is best to prepare your egusi soups using the Caking Method.

2.     Use the best meat for the soup,  red meat (beef) which is common but for those who don’t like red meat you can go for goat meat etc.

3.      Chicken is good also but do not use dry fish and stockfish because the two cannot co-exist with chicken.

4.     When using bitter leaves, add it a bit earlier because it is a tough vegetable and need to be washed and remove all the bitterness unless your family prefers it with the bitter taste.

5.     Ogiri okpei is made with locust beans. It is known as iru in Yoruba. It adds a traditional taste to Egusi Soup.

Before you cook Egusi Soup

1.     Before preparing the soup, soak the dry fish and stock fish till soft. If you are using the very tough stockfish, boil it for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak for about an hour. If using the softer stockfish, you can just soak them in cool water till you can break them apart with your hands.

2.     When the fish and stockfish are soft, de-bone and break them into sizeable chunks.

3.     Much closer to your cooking time, grind the egusi with a dry mill. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper separately and set aside.

4.     Rinse the vegetables to be used and cut into tiny pieces.

5.     Cook the beef and fish with the stock cubes till they are well done. You should start cooking the toughest meat and fish first and add the others as they get done. If using a normal pot, start with stockfish and shaki, add beef after about 1 hour and cook till done. Add the dry fish when all the other meat and fish are cooked because it is already cooked, you just need to cook it long enough till it is soft and integrated with the rest of the ingredients. Set all these aside.

Cooking Directions

1.     Pour the red palm oil into a dry pot and set on the stove to heat. As soon as the oil melts, add the ground egusi and start frying. If the oil is not congealed, add the egusi as soon as the oil is translucent. Mix the ground egusi with oil till every grain of egusi turns yellow.

2.     Start stirring the egusi on low to medium heat. Keep stir-frying for about 10 minutes.

3.     Add the meat/fish stock (water from cooking the fish and meat) little by little while still stirring the egusi. So you add a bit of the stock, stir-fry for some time, add another, stir-fry and so on. When the stock is exhausted and you feel that the soup is still too thick, you can start adding hot water in the same way till you get the consistency you want. If your choice of vegetable is bitter leaf, add it at this time.

4.     Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, stirring at intervals. Also, top up the water when necessary. If you don't stir it, it will burn. It takes 30 minutes to cook egusi properly else the soup will not taste nice to someone with authentic  taste buds. Also, egusi that is not cooked long enough may cause stomach upset. The egusi is done when you notice that the oil has separated from the mix.

5.     Once that it is done, add the ground crayfish and pepper. Stir and add the pumpkin (ugu) leaves or spinach (alternative).

6.     Stir very well and add the cooked stockfish, shaki and meat.

7.     Add salt if necessary. If it is too thick, add some water to bring it to a consistency you like.

8.     Cover and leave to simmer and it is done!

Egusi Before Oil (Caking Method)

This method produces a healthier egusi soup as there is no frying involved. It requires less oil too.

1.     In this method, as soon as the shaki, fish and meat are done, remove them from the stock (water used in cooking the meat and fish) and place in a different pot or plate.

2.     Add the ground egusi to the stock and stir. If the stock from cooking your meat and fish is not enough to give you a medium consistency, add some water to get the consistency of evaporated milk or a bit thicker. It will not be as smooth as evaporated milk though.

3.     Cover and cook till the egusi cakes. Stir and add a little bit more water. watch it closely so that it does not burn.

4.     Repeat step 3, adding only a small quantity of water at a time. After about 25 minutes, you will notice the clear egusi oil coming to the surface of the soup.

5.     Add the red palm oil and bitter leaves (if it is your choice of vegetable), pepper and salt to taste and cook for about 7 minutes. You know it is good to continue when the palm oil and egusi forms a good blend of light yellow colour.

6.     Add the cooked meat and fish. If using pumpkin leaves or any other soft vegetable, add it at this time and stir the soup.

7.     Add salt to your taste, stir and leave to simmer for 2 minutes maximum.

8.     Turn off the heat. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with any of these swallow for Egusi Soup Cassava Fufu, Eba (Garri) Amala, pounded Yam. You can also serve with, Agidi, Semolina Fufu, Tuwo Shinkafa.