EGUSI SOUP

Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup is a traditional Nigerian recipe for a classic meat and smoked fish stew flavoured with bitterleaf and thickened with ground egusi (watermelon) seeds. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Nigerian version of: Egusi Soup.

Egusi Soup Recipe
Origin: Nigeria

The Egusi is a peculiar watermelon mutant in Citrullus lanatus var lanatus that has seeds with a fleshy pericarp and which are high in protein and carbohydrate. If you cannot get egusi then you can substitute standard watermelon or pumpkin seeds, which will have the same thickening qualities but which are nowhere near as nutritious. Bitterleaf is, as the name suggests a bitter leaf that is commonly grown as a vegetable in Nigeria. As the name suggests, it is very bitter in taste. There is no real substitute, however in Europe a mix of turnip greens or collard greens and hop leaves and hop shoots makes a reasonable approximation.

Ingredients
250g chuck (shoulder) of beef, diced
500g bushmeat (game in Europe/America), cut into dice
500g stockfish (sun-dried fish, obtainable from Asian stores) or dried fish
500g smoked dry fish (also obtainable from Asian stores)
250g oxtail, cut into bite-sized pieces
250g cleaned tripe, but into small pieces
1.2l stock or water
300g ground egusi (or ground pumpkin or watermelon seeds)
500g fresh tomatoes
250g fresh chilli peppers (preferably Scotch Bonnet)
2 large onions (one sliced finely)
1 tsp iru (fermented locust beans (carob) — omit if not available)
4 tbsp ground crayfish
500g fresh bitter leaf, washed (substitute 450g collard greens/turmip greens/kale + 50g young hop leaves or dandelion leaves or use young rosebay willowherb tips)
salt to taste

Egusi Soup Preparation:


Method:
Thoroughly was the oxtail, game and tripe. Place in a large pot with the sliced onions, chuck, bushmeat, salt some 50ml of water or stock. Cook for 30 minutes until tender.

Add the washed dry fish and stockfish along with 100ml more stock and cook for a further 10 minutes. When cooked, transfer into a large bowl, wash the pot and place back on the heat. Add the oil and when hot add ground tomatoes, the remaining onion, ground and the chillies pounded to a paste. Fry for 10 minutes then add the ground egusi (or other seeds) and iru (if available). Stir thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes. Finally add the cooked meats, bitter leaf or greens, crayfish and the remaining stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or any of the stiff Nigerian puddings, such as Egun obobo.