Nigerian Egusi Soup – Spicy & Unique
-
Loading... - Virginia Etuk
- 09 Jun 2022
- 272 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Nigerian Egusi Soup is arguably Nigeria’s most popular soup. A mouthwatering combination of dried melon seeds, peppers, onions ground crayfish and of course chilli! The flavours in this soup are super unique and oh so flavourful!
What is Egusi Soup?
Egusi soup is a Nigerian soup originating from the Yoruba tribe. In Nigeria there are over 200 different tribes who all have different cultures, speak different languages and cook different food.
If you want to learn more about Nigerian Food check out my blog post Nigerian Food for Newbies!
Egusi Soup is the only soup which is actually eaten by all the tribes of Nigeria which is why it is often called Nigeria’s most popular soup!
The soup is made up of all the usual Nigerian staple ingredients. Onions, peppers, chilli, iru, dried crayfish and finished with spinach or any other kind of bitter leaf as natives call it. The most important ingredient is Egusi what the soup is named after.
What is Egusi?
Egusi means melon seed in Yoruba. The seeds of melons are dried and then ground to produce a fine powder, that is then turned into a paste to cook in the soup.
To best describe the taste of melon seeds I would suggest trying this soup! It really is a unique flavour and unlike anything else I have ever tried.
The taste is savoury, slightly bitter and rich tasting.
How do Nigerians Eat Egusi Soup?
Nigerians eat this kind of Soup with swallow. Swallow is a group of foods eaten by Nigerians that are literally “hard to swallow”. They include things like pounded yam, eba, ground rice and fufu.
Some Nigerians also eat this soup with white rice but this is not traditional. This is how I like to enjoy my Egusi Soup on top of white long grain rice with some Nigerian Red Stew on the side!
What Do I Need?
The ingredients for Egusi Soup are mixed. Some are easily found common ingredients and others, special Nigerian ingredients. You may need to find a local Nigerian store or find out if your country has an online vendor for Nigerian products.
· Egusi – These are the melon seeds. You can get this at a Nigerian green grocer or many Indian/afghani shops selling Nigerian produce and products.
· Crayfish – This ingredient is essential for a lot of Nigerian cooking. It is irreplaceable and worth sourcing. The flavour is smoky, salty and shellfishy. Always buy whole and blend fresh yourself using a coffee grinder.
· Iru – These are femented locust beans. They are salty and slightly sour. Commonly used in Nigerian cooking as a seasoning.
· Scotch Bonnet – The favourite hot pepper of Nigeria. Its punchy with sweet flavours.
· Onions – I use brown onions but you can also use white or red.
· Red Pepper – Red pepper is best to provide a nice red colour to the soup but you can use yellow, orange or green too.
· Stock cube – Nigerians use maggi to season everything. I substitute for 1 chicken stock cube.
· Chicken Stock – You will also need some fresh chicken stock/broth to add a meaty flavour to the soup. You can use water but the taste will not be the same.
· Palm Oil – This oil is very popular in Nigeria. You should buy Nigerian palm oil which is made in Nigeria and does not have the same issues South American palm oil has.
· Thyme, Pepper and Paprika – Season with dried thyme, black pepper and paprika.
How to Make Egusi Soup
There are two methods I know of to make Egusi Soup. The method I use is the ball method. There are specific steps to follow but these steps are easy to follow and provide the best tasting Egusi Soup.
1. First grind the egusi in small/medium batches until fine.
2. Blend 1 medium onion with 1 cup water and 1 tbsp ground crayfish.
3. Pour the ground egusi into a bowl and add the blended onion mix little by little while stirring to create a paste.
4. Make the stew base by blending 1 large red pepper, 1 medium onion and 8 scotch bonnet. Read More…
