Fried Egusi Soup

In my earlier post Egusi soup (lumpy Egusi soup) I mentioned that there are numerous ways Egusi soup can be prepared in Nigeria cuisine.  Another delectable method of preparing Egusi is Fried Egusi soup. It is easy and very straightforward to prepare. Egusi seed (melon seed) is nutty, mildly sweet and contains a very rich oil. It is common in most parts of Nigeria.

For Fried Egusi soup, the dry ground egusi seed is fried in warm palm oil until it looks dry or a bit sandy. The resulting soup is mushy without clumps of egusi. The taste is a bit different from the lumpy boiled Egusi soup. Very well cooked fried egusi soup favours pounded yam as an accompaniment.

For more information on egusi, its uses etc., visit my post on Egusi soup (Lumpy Egusi Soup).

To prepare fried egusi soup

3 cups Egusi 
meat 
stockfish
dry fish
3/4 cup palm oil (3 standard cooking spoons)
2 medium onions (1 cup chopped)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons ground crayfish (separated)
20g ogili okpei
5 scotch bonnet (fresh pepper)
3 seasoning cubes
salt 
15g uziza leaf (shredded, optional or uziza seed)
300g ugu leaf (shredded, fluted pumpkin leaf)
7-8 cups stock and water

Wash meat and stockfish and place in a medium-size pot over medium flame.

Add enough water to cover the meat. Season with salt and seasoning cube. You can add some sliced onions.

Boil till meat is tender.

Soak the dry fish in boiling hot water for about 2 minutes, drain and rinse well in cold water.

Debone and add to the pot of boiling meat. See post on How to wash dry fish.

While the meat is boiling, grind the egusi seed, using the dry mill of your blender.

Chop onions and grind or chop the pepper.

Mash ogili okpei in a little hot water.

Wash uziza and ugu leaves and shred.

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

Before onions soften add ground egusi powder and fry.

Keep stirring the egusi to avoid burning it.

Fry egusi until it starts looking dry, grainy or sandy instead of creamy, it has lost moisture and released oil.

Add stock and water, stir well.

Add meat, stockfish, dry fish, crayfish, ogili okpei, pepper and seasoning cubes, stir well, taste and add salt.

Keep cooking until the rawness has gone out of the egusi and red oil coats the top, about 10 minutes.

Add Uziza leaves and boil for 3 minutes.

Then add Ugu leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons ground crayfish. Boil for another 3 minutes until leaves are tender.

Take off the heat. It will thicken a little more as it cools down.

Serve with any swallow of choice, e.g Pounded yam, garri, Semovita etc. or plain boiled rice.

Notes

• Leftover egusi soup can be used to make egusi jollof rice. It is simply awesome.

You will also enjoy my Egusi soup (Lumpy Egusi Soup), Esa Soup, Sesame seed soup (ridi, beniseed), Egusi soup with Tomato sauce. Also try the easy Okro (Okra ) soup and Utazi soup, Ofe Utazi.

Fried egusi soup

gaga

A delicious way to cook Egusi soup.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Nigerian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups Egusi
• meat
• stockfish
• dry fish
• ¾ cup palm oil (3 standard cooking spoons)
• 2 medium onions (1 cup chopped)
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons ground crayfish (seperated)
• 20 g ogili okpei
• 5 scotch bonnet (fresh pepper)
• 3 seasoning cubes
• salt
• 15 g uziza leaf (shredded, optional or uziza seed)
• 300 g ugu leaf (shredded, fluted pumpkin leaf)
• 7-8 cups stock and water

Instructions

 

• Wash meat and stockfish and place in a medium-size pot over medium flame.
• Add enough water to cover the meat. Season with salt and seasoning cube. You can add some sliced onions.
• Boil till meat is tender.
• Soak the dry fish in boiling hot water for about 2 minutes, drain and rinse well in cold water.
• Debone and add to the pot of boiling meat. See post on How to wash dry fish.
• While the meat is boiling, grind the egusi seed, using the dry mill of your blender.
• Chop onions and grind or chop the pepper.
• Mash ogili okpei in a little hot water.
• Wash uziza and ugu leaves and shred.
• In a dry pot, put palm oil, when warmed through, add onions and fry.
• Before onions soften add ground egusi powder and fry.
• Keep stirring the egusi to avoid burning it. Fry egusi until it starts looking dry, grainy or sandy instead of creamy, it has lost moisture and released oil.
• Add stock and water, stir well.
• Add meat, stockfish, dry fish, crayfish, ogili okpei, pepper and seasoning cubes, stir well, taste and add salt.
• Keep cooking until the rawness has gone out of the egusi and red oil coats the top, about 10 minutes.
• Add Uziza leaves and boil for 3 minutes.
• Then add Ugu leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons ground crayfish. Boil for another 3 minutes until leaves are tender.
• Take off the heat. It will thicken a little more as it cools down.
• Serve with any swallow of choice, e.g Pounded yam, garri, Semovita etc. or plain boiled rice.

Notes

• Leftover egusi soup can be used to make egusi jollof rice. It is simply awesome.

Keyword egusi, nigerian soup, spicy

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