Nigerian Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup (How To Make Egusi Soup)

Trying to make a healthy and tasty meal can be difficult, especially if you’re not familiar with African cuisine. This pounded yam and egusi soup is the perfect solution.

This hearty West African dish is made from nutritious melon seeds and is full of flavor. Plus, it’s low carb and keto friendly.

In this article, I’ll teach you everything you need to know about making egusi soup from scratch. You’ll learn how to select the perfect egusi seeds, prepare the soup, and store it properly.

You’ll also get tips on making egusi soup tastier with some simple additions or substitutions. And finally, I’ll tell you where to buy the ingredients you need to make the ultimate Nigerian egusi soup.

What Is Egusi Soup?

Egusi soup is a hearty, savory soup made from ground melon seeds. These seeds come from egusi gourd (Citrullus colocynthis), which looks very similar to watermelon.

The soup is popular in West African cuisine and is often eaten with fufu or rice dishes, particularly in Nigeria. Plus, it’s low carb and keto friendly. It is sometimes called Egusi Stew.

What Does Egusi Taste Like?

The easiest way to describe the taste of egusi is a mix of nutty flavor from the melon seeds, umami from the meat, earthy from the vegetables, and flavorful from the mix of spices used in the preparation of this dish.

What Are The Benefits Of Egusi Soup?

There are many health benefits associated with eating egusi soup. The nutrients found in egusi seeds include vitamin A, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin, folate, iron, and fiber (source).

One cup of egusi contains around 30 grams of protein. This means that one serving of egusi provides more than enough protein for your entire day. These nutrients are essential for overall health and wellness.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Healthy: As previously discussed, egusi soup is healthy and a great way to nourish your body while eating a delicious meal.

Diet-Friendly: While not every Nigerian food is diet-friendly, egusi soup is a great option for those on a keto diet.

Customizable: This Nigerian dish can easily be modified to your taste. Even those with allergies or dietary restrictions will not have difficulty enjoying egusi with slight changes. See the additions and substitution section below for some recommendations.

Ingredients: What Is In Egusi Soup

• Melon seeds: Ground melon seeds are the main ingredient for this tasty West African food. It is mixed with a small amount of water to create a thick paste that turns into a curd-like texture (almost like cottage cheese) when added to the meat broth.
• Palm oil: The red oil obtained from the fruit of oil palm trees gives egusi some color and a unique taste.
• Locus beans: Also called Iru woro, locust beans are not essential in preparing this traditional Nigerian dish. But if you want that finger-licking taste that many people crave from egusi, you’ll need locust beans.
• Spinach: Chopped green vegetables not only provide nutrients to this dish but adds a subtle touch that balances out the flavors.
• Pepper: Red pepper, particularly scotch bonnet pepper, adds a nice kick to the taste of the soup.
• Onion: There’s just something about onions that boosts the flavors of almost any savory dish.
• Meat: Beef, cowskin, smoked fish, tripe. and ground crayfish
• Seasoning cubes: Seasoning cubes improve the taste of egusi. You’d be hard-pressed to find any popular recipe for how to make egusi soup that doesn’t have seasoning cubes or bouillon powder included in the ingredient list.

Tools Needed To Prepare Egusi soup

• Cooking pot or casserole
• Cooking spoon or spatula
• Knife
• Chopping board

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Melon Soup

Spinach

Spinach leaves can easily be substituted with other green leaves like bitter leaf, fresh pumpkin leaves (ugwu), or basil (scent leaves). Other bitter greens like dandelion are an alternative to bitter leaf.

Meat

Nigerians like myself don’t joke with our proteins, aka meat. You can add or substitute your choice of meat when cooking this soup. Great options include goat meat…….

Locust Beans

If you don’t have locust beans where you are, you can substitute with ogiri or dawadawa.

 How To Make Egusi Soup

Ingredients

• 400 g ground melon seeds (egusi)
• 8 oz palm Oil or a little more or less depending on preference
• 3-4 tbsp locust beans
• 50 g chopped spinach
• 16 oz pepper mixture (bell pepper and habanero pepper)
• 1 large onion, ground/finely chopped
• 1-3 Stock cubes
• 1 lb beef
• 1/2 lb cow skin (or beef tripe)
• 1/2 lb smoked fish
• 1 tbsp ground crayfish
• 16 oz beef broth
• Salt To Taste

Instructions

STEP 1: In a separate bowl, mix the ground melon and half of the onion together with a small amount of water (2-4 tbsp) until you get a lumpy paste.

STEP 2: Add palm oil to the saucepan and heat on medium heat. Be careful not to overheat the oil.

STEP 3: Saute the remaining half of the onion in the hot palm oil.

STEP 4: Add your onion-melon paste in lumps to the saucepan.

STEP 5: Let the paste fry for about a minute or until it’s darker in color, then delicately flip over.

STEP 6: Remove the cooked lumps of melon and set them aside.

STEP 7: Use the same oil to fry your onion and pepper mixture. Add the beef broth and locust beans. You can transfer for a bigger pot if needed.

STEP :8 Cook for about 10-15 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and pepper sauce looks dark red.

STEP 9: Add the locust beans, smoked fish, cooked beef, cowskin, and prepared ground melon lumps.

STEP 10: Now add your seasoning powder (stock cubes) and salt. Stir lightly so as not to break the fried egusi.

STEP 11: Add your chopped spinach and stir. Let the soup cook for about 5 minutes.

STEP 12: Serve hot with your favorite accompaniment (i.e., swallow) or rice, if you dare.

What Do You Eat Egusi Soup With?

One of the great things about this Nigerian soup is the plethora of ways you can serve it. A few ways to eat this mouthwatering soup are:

• Eba
• Pounded yam
• Fufu
• Semolina
• Amala
• Boiled rice
• Boiled yam

Tips About Making This Egusi Recipe

• Locust beans may be omitted from the dish if you are not a fan of its smell.
• If your soup is too thick, add some broth or water. Some people prefer egusi soup they can “scoop up” with their pounded yam and others prefer egusi with more sauce.
• The taste of your egusi soup will be remarkably different if you go with spinach instead of bitter leaf.
• If your soup is too bitter, consider washing your bitter leaves a little longer and changing the water frequently.
• You can add as much leafy greens as you want to this recipe. It’s a great way to meet your daily fiber intake.
• Watch the amount of salt you add to the soup. It’s easy for egusi to get too salty -due to salt from the broth and evaporation from the soup.

How To Wash Bitter Leaves

To remove the bitterness from bitter leaves, wash it thoroughly before using it as a vegetable.

To wash out bitterness from fresh bitter leaves, do the following:

1. Put the leaves into a fine mesh sieve and place them in a large bowl with some water (enough to cover the leaves). Rub them between your palms until they feel soft.
2. Eventually, the water will turn dark green. Strain and replace the water. This is where the sieve is useful. Simply lift up the colander and discard the green water.
3. After straining out the leaves, rinse and replace the bowl with fresh, clean water.
4. Keep rubbing the leaves between your fingers and replacing the water until the water becomes almost clear and the leaves lose most of their bitterness. It may take up to rounds of doing this.
5. When squeezed out, the bitter leaves become ready for use in cooking your pounded yam and egusi soup (or any soup that calls for the use of bitter leaves).

How To Store Egusi Soup

Egusi will last up to five days in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight bowl and keep the bowl in the freezer to last for a few months.

My sister has reheated egusi stored for up to seven months without losing its flavor. Don’t ask me why she kept it that long!🤷🏾‍♀️ And don’t tell her I told you so.

Reheating egusi is as easy as reheating almost any soup. You can warm this soup straight from the fridge or freezer at a moment’s notice.

FAQ About Egusi Soup

Conclusion

Egusi Soup is a delicious African soup that nutritious, quick, and easy vegetable soup made with ground egusi seed (also known as white melon seeds).

Similar to pumpkin seeds, egusi seeds are rich in iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, fiber, and antioxidants.

In addition to being delicious, they’re packed with nutrients and healthy fats.

This dish is a Nigerian staple that is hearty, filling, and flavourful. Trust me; once you try this egusi soup recipe, you’ll be hooked!

So there you have it – the perfect egusi soup recipe. We hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.

Other popular Nigerian recipes include banga soup, okra soup, and African pepper soup.

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. And be sure to come back and visit Food Plus Words soon for more delicious recipes.