Egusi Soup

Egusi, tripe, cowfoot,and meat in a white bowl.

5 from 2 votes

This Egusi Soup is a rich and flavorful Nigerian dish, made with blended melon seeds, palm oil, traditional seasonings, assorted meats, and uzazi leaves. It's perfect for dinner, served with eba or pounded yam.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: African, Nigerian, West African

Servings: people

Calories: 871kcal

Author: Jen Sim

Equipment

Blender
Pot

Ingredients

1 cup of melon seeds
½-1 cup dried peppers chili
½ cup palm oil
2 Maggi/Knorr cubes
450 g Pre-cooked Assorted meat beef or goat, Cowleg, shaki, and brown ponmo
Salt to taste
¼ cup of uzazi leaves or bitter leaf

Instructions

Blend the melon seeds with dried pepper. If you are using ground egusi skip this step and add cayenne pepper instead of dried peppers later.
Add the blended melon seeds into a bowl, a few tablespoons of water, cayenne pepper (ata gun gun) and mix until it becomes lumpy. Set aside.
Pour palm oil into pot, cook for 5-7 minutes or until it changes color.
Add the lumpy mixture to the pot.
Cover and let it cook for ten minutes on medium heat. Do not stir.
Then, remove the lid and use a large spoon to stir gently. Cook for another on low to medium heat for 30 minutes checking and stirring from time to time to prevent burning.
Add the assorted meat, maggi and salt to taste and stir gently.
Finally, add the uzazi leaves and let the stew simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Serve this tasty egusi soup for dinner with eba or pounded yam.

Notes

Fish: This soup is very versatile. You can add dried catfish, smoked tilapia, or fresh catfish instead of assorted meat. You can also add chicken pieces.
Egusi: This version of egusi is lumpy. Let it cook for a few minutes without touching it so the lumps can form nicely before you stir.
Seasoning: Feel free to adjust the salt, pepper, and seasoning cubes (like Knorr) to match your taste.

Nutrition