As a southwesterner of Nigeria pounded yam is one of our traditional foods, and we eat this meal nearly every day with delicious egusi soup. Nigerian egusi soup is our best soup in this part of the country. Meanwhile, how to cook delicious egusi soup is a normal thing for us.
I am a proudly Ekiti woman where we can’t do without pounded yam. Fortunate enough, I got married to a typical Ekiti man who can eat pounded yam 3 times daily. LoL
However, making the best egusi soup has been part of me. There is a popular saying that, the way to win a man’s heart is through his stomach. I love to make this sumptuous soup for my family.
Egusi Origin
Moreover, the name egusi comes from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. It is a seed of a plant, like melons and squash and it is an important soup ingredient when dried in Nigeria.
It is one of the soups most people sought for in any party or occasion, whenever there’s pounded, Eba, Fufu, Semovita, Amala, or any other swallow are being served. Egusi is the best soup ever to be paired with these swallows. It’s dangerously delicious, and a special delicacy.
This makes the soup popular in Nigeria and some other parts of West African. The majority of people love to eat this soup and it is in high demand because it’s absolutely perfect.
Moreover, there are different vegetables you can use to garnish your egusi soup, such as bitter leaves, Spinach, Ugwu leaves, and waterleaves. My favorite of them all is spinach and bitter leaf. You may also use your favorite whichever you choose, it will come out nice and delicious.
Any meat or fish of your choice is also perfect for Egusi soup. Some of the commonly used are Ponmo (cow skin) Shaki (cow stomach), beef, goat meat, chicken (any part), assorted beef, and dry fish.
The beauty of each swallow is to go down the stomach with assorted meat without any delay.
Therefore, I encourage you to learn how to prepare Nigerian egusi soup the best recipe for your family and party.
And without much ado, let’s get started!
Egusi Paste and Cooking preparation
- Blend egusi seed together with1 large onion together and set aside
- 1 Onion medium diced and set aside
- Slice mushrooms and set aside
- Blend together 2-3 Red ball pepper, Scotch bonnet, and 1 large Onion together
- Season and cook your desire meat (beef, chicken, stomach, Ponmo, gizzard) until they’re soft and tender
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups egusi (ground or milled)
- 2 large Onion
- 1 teaspoon curry, thyme, and pepper
- 3-5 teaspoons of locust beans (Iru)
- Whole or ground crayfish
- 400g gizzard
- Salt to taste
- 500g mushroom
- 400g spinach
- Cooked meat and fish (add the variety as desire)
- 5-6 seasoning cubes/powder
- 4 cups stock
Methods
- Pre-heat the palm oil in a large pot for 2 minutes
- Add diced onion and stir, allow to saute for one minute
- Scoop teaspoon size balls of egusi paste and onion mixture into the oil
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes on low heat, stir at regular interval to avoid burning
- Add 3-4 spoons of blended pepper and stir gently
- At this Juncture add the sliced mushrooms
- Add stock to the mixture
- Season with curry, thyme, and seasoning cubes/powder
- Add salt to taste
- Add meat and other assorted as desire
- Stir very well and add salt and other seasonings if necessary
- Add Spinach, stir, and cover with a lid to allow everything to simmer and get incorporated.
- Allow to steam for 2-5 minutes
- Serve your egusi soup with pounded yam or any other swallow of your choice, and enjoy it.
Please enjoy the video
Nutritional Value
Egusi soup is very rich in fat, protein, and other valuable nutrients that will enrich your body.
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