DELICIOUS NIGERIAN EGUSI SOUP

[Gimbiya]

Delicious Nigerian Egusi Soup


On the menu today, is my delicious adaptation of a classic Nigerian Egusi recipe. This soup is prepared using dried blended melon seeds (Egusi) with the addition of fresh vegetables to enhance the taste of the dish; And of course not leaving out an assortment of meats which produces the home made stock needed to give an amazingly tasty resulting dish. I have used fresh pumpkin leaves (Ugwu) and a hand full of bitter leaves for my recipe today, just enough to leave a distinctive after bitter taste in your mouth. The sweet and bitter juxtaposition is truly amazing!

Egusi soup is a very popular dish in Nigeria. An amazing party food option and a great crowd pleaser any day. I used to enjoy eating Egusi soup with Eba until the markets became flooded with so many swallow options that are healthier and a bit more tender to the palates. I view Egusi soup as a true Nigerian delicacy because it is one of the dishes that is eaten in all parts of Nigeria, regardless of tribe. Even though there might be slight variations in its preparations and the overall ingredients that goes in the dish, it is then safe to say that Egusi soup cuts across all Nigeria borders. I call it a dish that speaks so many languages. What do you call it? 

Let’s cook! 

Ingredients

1) Dried Egusi (Melon seeds) 800g 

2) Scotch bonnets (Atarodo) 100g 

3) Meat assortments 1kg 

4) Cray fish 100g 

5) Pkomo 200g 

6) Dried fish 200g 

7) Palm oil 1 cup 

8) Bitter leaf 20g or about a handful 

9) Ugwu leaves (pumpkin leaves) 100g 

10) Seasoning 10g 

11) 1 large onion

12) Stockfish 

13) I cup of water ( for the egusi) 

14) Salt 3g 


Preparations 
1) Prepare all the ingredients by washing Thoroughly and slicing 

2) In a clean pot, add in the meats, kpomo, sliced onions, all of the seasoning and salt and parboil for 15 minutes or until tender





3) Now add in the dried fish, crayfish and the chopped scotch bonnets (atarodo) into the pot, stir and allow to simmer for another 3 minutes, then set this aside. 

Cooks tip: I normally will not add in the dried fish at the same time as the meats, this is so that the fish does not totally scatter in the soup. I like to have large chunks of fish in my soup.

4) Add the blended Egusi (melon seeds) into a clean bowl, pour in a cup of water or just enough to form a thick paste. 

Cooks tip: it is good to note here that I have a large family that’s why I always use large measurements, if you have a small family, your measurements would naturally be in smaller amounts, so be careful the amount of water you add in your Egusi so it does not turn watery.

5) In a clean pot, add in the palm oil and allow to heat for 3 minutes, once this is ready, start making medium sized dollops of the Egusi into the hot oil, more like misshaped balls. Allow this to fry for 3 minutes



6) Quickly add in the meat stock into the pot, cover and allow to simmer for two minutes, before adding the meats, stir this well

7) Add in the chopped ugwu leaves, stir and add in the bitter leaves for the perfect tasting Egusi soup.



And your delicious one pot wonder is ready!!!


This serves well with any swallow of your choice. Like I said earlier, Egusi soup speaks many languages, in Benue state it is called Obobo. What is it called where you are from? Please comment below, I would like to know! 

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