Egusi soup

Name: Egusi soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 250 g Egusi seeds, ground to a coarse flour; 120 ml Red palm oil; 500 g Beef, stewing beef or shin, cut into 3 cm pieces; 100 g Stockfish, soaked overnight, bones removed, torn; 2 tbsp Ground crayfish; 300 g Spinach, washed, roughly chopped; 2 medium Onion, one blended, one chopped; 1 piece Red pepper, blended with the scotch bonnet; 2 piece Scotch bonnet, blended, use one for less heat; 2 piece Bouillon cubes; 1 tsp Salt; 1 l Water; 1 kg Yam, peeled, cut into 3 cm chunks

Nigerian melon-seed soup with palm oil, beef, stockfish, crayfish and greens, eaten with pounded yam.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Rest: None
Total: 2 hr
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Hot
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Egusi is thick soup built on ground melon seeds. The seeds are mixed with blended onion into a paste, fried in palm oil until they clump and turn golden, then loosened with meat stock. Beef, stockfish and ground crayfish do the savoury work; blended red pepper and scotch bonnet give colour and heat; a heap of greens goes in last. This version uses spinach because bitterleaf is hard to find outside West African shops. It is served with pounded yam: boiled yam beaten smooth until it stretches, which you make here with a food processor or a lot of elbow.

What you'll need

13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 13 ready

6 servings

Soup
Pounded yam

Ingredients

Servings

Soup

Egusi seeds, ground to a coarse flour250 g
Red palm oil120 ml
Beef, stewing beef or shin, cut into 3 cm pieces500 g
Stockfish, soaked overnight, bones removed, torn (optional)100 g
Ground crayfish30 ml
Spinach, washed, roughly chopped300 g
Onion, one blended, one chopped2 medium
Red pepper, blended with the scotch bonnet1
Scotch bonnet, blended, use one for less heat2
Bouillon cubes2
Salt4.9 ml
Water1 l

Pounded yam

Yam, peeled, cut into 3 cm chunks1 kg

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Put the beef in a pot with the chopped onion, one stock cube, salt and 1 litre of water. Simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Add the stockfish for the last 20 minutes. Keep the meat and stock separately.
60 min
Step 2
Mix the ground egusi with the blended onion and a splash of water into a thick, scoopable paste.
5 min
Step 3
Warm the palm oil in a heavy pot over medium heat until it loosens. Drop in the egusi paste in spoonfuls and fry, turning occasionally, until the lumps turn golden and smell toasted, about 10 minutes.
10 min
Watch: Do not let the palm oil smoke. If it goes black and bitter, start again.
Step 4
Add the blended pepper and scotch bonnet and fry 5 minutes. Pour in the meat stock a ladle at a time, breaking up some of the egusi lumps and leaving others whole. Add the crayfish and the second stock cube. Simmer 15 minutes until the oil rises.
20 min
Tip: The soup should be thick enough to hold a dent. Add stock if it tightens too much.
Step 5
Return the beef and stockfish to the pot and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted, 3 minutes. Taste for salt.
8 min
Step 6
For the pounded yam, boil the yam in salted water until a knife slides through with no resistance, 20 minutes. Drain. Blitz hot in a food processor in two batches, adding a tablespoon of the cooking water at a time, until smooth and stretchy. Shape into balls with wet hands.
25 min
Tip: Work fast while the yam is hot. Cold yam will not pound smooth.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 916 kcal
Protein: 53.6 g
Carbs: 61.7 g
Fat: 52.1 g
Saturated fat: 18.3 g
Fibre: 10.7 g
Sugar: 4.7 g
Sodium: 889 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Shellfish

Dairy-free
Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Pounded yam → Instant pounded yam flour or garri (eba)
Both are what busy Nigerian kitchens reach for. Follow the packet; it is a whisk-into-boiling-water job.
Beef and stockfish → Goat meat or smoked turkey
Any slow-cooked meat with its stock works. Skip the fish if you cannot find stockfish.

Tips

Ground egusi is sold in West African grocers and online. Whole seeds grind in a spice grinder in seconds.
If you find bitterleaf (washed, dried) or ugu, use 200 g in place of the spinach for the proper flavour.
Egusi thickens as it stands. Loosen leftovers with hot water, not stock, or they turn salty.

History & culture

A soup for Sunday and for guests across Nigeria, with Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa kitchens each claiming the proper method. It is eaten by hand: pinch off yam, dent it with your thumb, scoop soup. Restaurants list it as egusi with pounded yam, eba or amala. Leftovers are better on day two.

Melon seeds have been pressed for oil and ground for soup across the Guinea savannah for centuries. The frying method, where egusi is cooked to lumps before stock goes in, is one of several regional styles. Stockfish arrived from Norway through colonial trade and stayed.

Regional variation — Spinach stands in for bitterleaf or ugu (fluted pumpkin leaf). Pounded yam is made in a food processor rather than a mortar, which gives a slightly less elastic result. Both are common compromises in the diaspora.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Egusi soup take?

2 hr all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Hot.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Dutch oven, Blender, Stockpot, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Pounded yam → Instant pounded yam flour or garri (eba). Both are what busy Nigerian kitchens reach for. Follow the packet; it is a whisk-into-boiling-water job. Beef and stockfish → Goat meat or smoked turkey. Any slow-cooked meat with its stock works. Skip the fish if you cannot find stockfish.

What should I watch for?

Do not let the palm oil smoke. If it goes black and bitter, start again.

Any tips from this recipe?

Ground egusi is sold in West African grocers and online. Whole seeds grind in a spice grinder in seconds. If you find bitterleaf (washed, dried) or ugu, use 200 g in place of the spinach for the proper flavour. Egusi thickens as it stands. Loosen leftovers with hot water, not stock, or they turn salty.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.