Esa soup, Sesame seed soup is indigenous to people from the middle belt, parts of northern and south-south Nigeria. It is also called Epigorigo, Benne seed/ Beniseed, ridi etc. It is cooked in the same way as egusi soup.

I am used to having sesame seed sprinkled on burger rolls, chilli chicken, used in candy, made into seed butter etc but soup? How exciting, another use for this lovely, healthy seed. I love local and seasonal produce.

Sesame seed is rich in calcium and many other minerals and vitamins, although it also contains antinutrients. The antinutrients are reduced to a minimum by the soup being cooked long enough.

The seeds are normally toasted before use. Toasting the seeds give them a nutty flavour which is desirable. The longer you toast the seeds, the stronger the taste and it can get so strong to the point of not being palatable or burnt. Half the weight of sesame seed is oil, very high-quality oil, so be careful when adding oil. The use of okpei is necessary.

To prepare Esa soup, Sesame seed soup

Meat
Stockfish
Dry fish
2 cup Sesame seed
3/4 cup Palm oil (3 cooking spoons)
1 large onions
3 scotch bonnet (fresh pepper, ata rodo)
1/2 cup Crayfish
2 small okpei
1 bunch green (amaranth green)
1/2 cup bitter leaf (onugbu)

Place beef in a pot, season with salt and seasoning cube, add some sliced onions and a little water.

Wash and add stockfish.

Boil over medium heat until soft.

Wash dry fish and set aside.

Toast sesame seed until slightly coloured (Click to learn how to toast sesame seed).

Leave seeds to cool a little then grind into a powder.

Slice onions, grind the pepper, crayfish and okpei.

Wash and shred green and bitter leaves.

In a dry pot, put palm oil, when warmed through, add onions and fry until soft.

Add ground sesame seed powder and fry for 2 minutes.

Esa soup, sesame seed soup cooking in a pot

Keep stirring to avoid burning it.

Add stock, water, pepper, crayfish and okpei stir well, cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Stir from time to time.

Add meat, stockfish, dry fish, seasoning cubes and bitter leaf, stir well, taste and add salt.

Cover the soup and lower the heat.

Cook for 5 minutes.

Add chopped green or spinach and cook for 2 minutes, stir and take off the heat.

Serve your delicious Esa soup, Sesame seed soup, with pounded yam or any swallow of choice, e.g garri, semovita or plain boiled rice.

Notes

The sesame seed powder can be mixed with ground onions and dropped into the boiling soup. Cover and cook until the paste has dissolved into the soup then add meat, vegetables etc.

You will also enjoy my Egusi soup (Lumpy Egusi Soup), Fried egusi soup, Miyan bushenshe kubewa (Dry Okro Soup) and Gbegiri soup.