Nigerian Efo Elegusi Soup (Two Ways)
Savor every bite of this delightful Nigerian Efo Elegusi Soup. This traditional golden stew combines rich, savory, sour flavors and is filling enough to feed a whole family. Serve with rice or swallows like eba, pounded yam, semo or amala.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 578kcal
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 Plum tomatoes
- 2 Scotch bonnets
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Large onion
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoon of iru
- 1 maggi or knorr cubes
- Ground pepper to taste
- pre-cooked assorted meat
- Dried fish optional
- 4 bunches of red root spinach
- ¼-2 a cup of grounded melon seeds
- Vegetable or palm oil
Instructions
- In a blender, add 2 scotch bonnets, 1 red bell pepper, 1 large onion, and 2 plum tomatoes and blend together until thoroughly mixed.
- In a large saucepan, add oil that covers its entire base. Pour in the blended veggie mixture and bring it to a boil. Add salt and 2 teaspoon of iru (or 1 maggi cube) and mix to combine. Let it cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Add pre-cooked assorted meat (or any meat combination of your choice) to the stew and let it cook for 10-15 more minutes.
- Add 4 bunches of spinach (we recommend red root spinach!) and lower the heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, take your grounded melon seeds and roll them into balls using oil to keep it together. Add these balls to the stew and stir. Let it cook for another 10-12 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Efo Elegusi without Tomato
- Add a generous amount of palm oil to cover thebase of a pot and add 1-2 teaspoon of iru once it is hot. Pour in 1-2 cups ofchicken stock. Season it with salt to taste, ground pepper to taste, and 1-2knorr or Maggi cubes. Stir.
- Then, add pre-cooked assorted meat to the stewand let it cook for about 10-15 minutes depending on how soft the meat is. Once the meat is done remove it from the pot and set it aside for later.
- Next add the egusi paste (see notes) to thepot. Stir gently for about 5-7 minutes. Then cover it and leave it to cook for another 5-7 minutes on low heat. The egusi should have a medium consistency.
- Add the precooked meat back into the pot.
- Add 4 bunches of red root spinach. Then, addwater as needed and stir. Do not add water all at once as the stew may become watery. Finally, cover and leave to cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy with swallow such as eba, pounded yam or amala.
Notes
- Egusi: To make egusi paste blend 2 cups of egusi seeds, water, and a pinch of salt until it forms a paste (as shown). If the egusi is already grounded then mix it with water by hand to make a paste.
- Red root spinach: Boil and drain the spinach before adding it to the egusi. To prepare the spinach remove the roots and chop the spinach finely. Add spinach to a large bowl, wash with cold water and transfer the spinach to another bowl. You should see dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Repeat this step 3 times as spinach is usually quite dirty. After washing the spinach pour boiling hot water over the spinach and drain in a strainer or sieve after 5 minutes. The spinach is now ready to be added to the stew.
Nutrition
Serving: 462g | Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.42g | Protein: 32.52g | Fat: 42.99g | Saturated Fat: 21.146g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.003g | Cholesterol: 2.003mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 1873mg | Vitamin A: 21602IU | Vitamin C: 98.4mg | Calcium: 1078mg | Iron: 17.25mg