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Egusi soup (melon seed soup): photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Ask4ugo — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Soups

Egusi soup (melon seed soup)

A creamy, thick soup from Yoruba and Igbo cooking, thickened with ground colocynth seeds. Seasoned with palm oil, it is eaten with fufu, garri or rice, and contains meat and fish.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Base

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

On the side

Instructions

  1. Cook the beef with an onion and water for 40 minutes, then set the stock aside.
  2. Heat the palm oil, fry the sliced onion, then add the chilli and Guinea pepper.
  3. Mix the ground egusi seeds with a little water to form a smooth paste.
  4. Pour the egusi paste into the hot oil and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes, until it clumps.
  5. Add the meat, fish, ground shrimp and 500 ml of stock, then simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Stir in the chopped spinach and Maggi seasoning, cook for 5 minutes, adjust the salt and serve with fufu.

Variations and tips

Meat-free version. Replace the meat with mushrooms and dried fish for a lighter vegetarian soup.

More ideas

Original Ecomely recipe.