The seeds of the Egusi plant
Egusi is a certain type of squash/watermelon plant which has fruits
with a quit bitter taste by itself and the flesh of it is not consumed. However the seeds of the Egusi are used in one of the most favourite Nigerian dishes in the world : Egusi soup or stew. Some also use the seeds of any other squash like plants to prepare the Egusi sauce, but to have the real authentic nigerian taste try to find the real Egusi seeds (whole or grounded) which are properly sold in your local African store. Egusi soup, which is more like a stew since is quit thick and most of the time served with beef is one of the most common dishes from the south of Nigeria and is eaten by the whole nigerian nation.
How to make Nigerian Egusi soup?
to make Nigerian Egusi one needs to find its main ingredient: the grounded Egusi seeds in your local ethnic store. Like said before one can also use the seeds of similar fruits like Squash or Melon. In this recipe we have chosen to make egusi soup with beef, but one can also change the beef for chicken or any other meat. Many Nigerians also like to have it with either oxtail or tripe. One can serve the Egusi soup best with pounded yam or fufu.
the ingredients for Egusi from Nigeria
- (ground) Egusi seeds – 600 Gram
- Beef (Oxtail or Tripe) – 500 Gram
- Palm Oil (Red)
- Pumpkin leaves (or cabage or fresh spinash if not available)
- maggi cubes
- Salt & Peper
how to cook the Egusi Soup?
- cut the beef in big cubes and boil in 1 liter of water with 3 cubes of Maggi untill it turns very tender.
- If you bought whole egusi seeds you should grind them first
- Wash the pumpkin leaves (or cabage/spinash)
- put 4 tablespoons of Red palm oil in a different pot on low fire until the oil turns clear
- add the ground Egusi to the oil and fry it on low fire (make sure it doesn’t burn by sturing it around allot) until it turns dry
- now add the beef + stock (the water where the beef was boilt in) in the pot of Egusi and add more water if it seems too dry.
- Cook the beef + Egusi for about 30 minutes on low fire with closed lid
- Now add the pumpkin leaves and cook it for a bit and mix it well in.
- Serve your delicious Nigerian Egusi Soup with either Fufu or Pounded Yam. Enjoy!!!