Cookbook:Egusi Soup

| Cuisine of Nigeria

Egusi soup, also called efọ elẹgusi, ofe egusi, or miyan gushi, is a Nigerian soup made from egusi seeds. There are various method of cooking egusi depending on the tribe. The two most prominent are the boiling and the frying methods. Either can be served with various Nigerian local swallows, including semo, wheat, starch, poundo, pounded yam, amala, fufu, and eba.

Ingredients

 * Meat or fresh fish (optional)
 * Salt
 * Seasoning cube (optional), crushed
 * Fresh peppers, granulated pepper
 * Tomato (optional)
 * Onions, sliced
 * Melon (egusi) seed, ground to a powder
 * Palm oil
 * Locust beans (optional)
 * Dried fish (optional), cleaned and deboned
 * Crayfish, cleaned
 * Ponmo (cow skin; optional), washed, cut into pieces and boiled to soften
 * Stockfish (optional), cleaned and deboned
 * Vegetables (pumpkin leaf, bitter leaf, waterleaf), cleaned and sliced

Preparation

 * 1) Wash your meat, stockfish, and ponmo thoroughly. Spice them with a combination of, granulated pepper, onions, salt and seasoning, then cover your pot and let it simmer for about 25 minutes.
 * 2) Blend together the seasoning powder, salt, fresh pepper, tomato, some of the onion, and egusi powder to make a thick paste.

Frying method

 * 1) Heat the palm oil in a pot. Add the remaining sliced onion, and fry for a few minutes.
 * 2) Mix the ground egusi with warm water, and add the paste to the onions. Stir over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
 * 3) Add the locust beans, cooked meat, dryfish, crayfish, and stockfish.
 * 4) If you feel the egusi is too thick, add a little water or the stock from boiling the meat.
 * 5) Allow to cook on low to medium heat for 10 minutes.
 * 6) Add the vegetables, and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
 * 7) Adjust the salt to taste before serving.

Boiling method

 * 1) Add the palm oil, ponmo, and dryfish to the boiled meat.
 * 2) Add prepared paste, and allow to boil for 5 minutes.
 * 3) Add crayfish, locust beans, and sliced vegetables. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
 * 4) Adjust the salt to taste before serving.