Egusi soup is a rich Nigerian soup made from ground melon seeds cooked in palm oil and stock with meat, fish, crayfish, pepper and leafy greens. You can cook it two ways: the frying method, where the egusi is fried in palm oil, or the lump method, where egusi paste is dropped into the stock and left to set. Outside Nigeria, spinach stands in well for the traditional greens, and most other ingredients are easy to find at African grocers.
What egusi is
Egusi is the seed of a type of melon grown across West Africa. The seeds are shelled, dried and ground into a pale, slightly nutty flour. In the pot, that flour thickens the soup and forms soft, scrambled-looking curds that soak up the palm oil and pepper.
The soup is cooked all over Nigeria, and every region has its own way. Yoruba cooks often add locust beans (iru) and efo greens. Igbo kitchens tend to use ugu or bitter leaf. Either way, it is eaten with a swallow such as pounded yam, eba or semovita.
Ingredients
This serves 6 to 8.
- 2 cups (about 250 g) ground egusi
- 125 to 180 ml (1/2 to 3/4 cup) palm oil
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) assorted meat: beef, tripe (shaki), cow skin (ponmo) or goat
- 1 medium piece of stockfish, soaked, and 1 dry fish, cleaned
- 3 tablespoons ground crayfish
- 1 large onion
- 2 or 3 scotch bonnet peppers, blended with 2 red bell peppers
- 2 stock cubes, plus salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon locust beans (iru), optional
- About 300 g (10 oz) leafy greens: ugu, spinach or washed bitter leaf
The fish, crayfish and palm oil carry most of the flavour, so they are worth getting right. You will find them with our Nigerian soup ingredients.
Method
1. Cook the meat and fish
Season the meat with half the onion, a stock cube and salt. Let it steam in its own juices for 10 minutes, then add about 1 litre (4 cups) of water and simmer until tender. Tripe and cow skin take longer than beef, so start them first. Add the soaked stockfish and dry fish for the last 15 minutes.
2. Prepare the egusi
For the frying method, warm the palm oil gently in a separate pot with the rest of the onion, sliced. Do not let it smoke. Add the ground egusi and stir on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it looks dry and grainy. Add the pepper blend and fry for 5 more minutes.
For the lump method, mix the egusi with the rest of the onion, blended, and a little water to make a thick paste. Heat the palm oil and pepper blend in the soup pot, pour in the meat stock, then drop in spoonfuls of the paste. Cover and leave it for 10 minutes without stirring so the lumps set.
3. Bring it together
Add the meat, fish, crayfish, iru and remaining stock to the egusi. Simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not stick. Add a little water if it gets too thick, then taste and adjust the salt.
4. Add the greens
Greens go in last. Spinach and ugu need only 2 to 3 minutes. Washed bitter leaf can go in a few minutes earlier. Turn off the heat while the leaves are still bright green.
Common swaps outside Nigeria
Cooking in Toronto or Houston does not mean giving up egusi. These swaps keep it close to the soup you grew up with.
- Ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves): fresh or frozen spinach is the easiest swap. Kale works too if you chop it fine and cook it a few minutes longer.
- Bitter leaf: look for dried or frozen washed bitter leaf at African stores. If you cannot find it, leave it out and use more spinach.
- Stockfish and dry fish: smoked turkey or smoked mackerel gives a similar smoky depth.
- Cow skin and tripe: use beef shin, chicken or goat instead. It is still egusi.
- Locust beans: skip them, or add an extra spoon of crayfish for savoury depth.
- Scotch bonnet: habanero is the closest match and is sold in most North American supermarkets.
- Egusi itself: ground pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are the usual emergency stand-in. They taste greener and less nutty, so expect a different soup.
Palm oil is the one ingredient without a good swap. Vegetable oil cooks fine, but you lose the orange colour and the earthy flavour that make the soup taste like egusi. Our palm oil page shows what we carry.
Serving and storing
Serve egusi hot with pounded yam, eba, semovita or fufu. Pounded yam flour such as Ayoola Poundo Yam makes a quick swallow on a weeknight, and our staples and flours cover the other options.
Egusi soup keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and freezes well for up to 3 months. If you can, freeze it before adding the greens, then stir in fresh leaves when you reheat. Keep ground egusi in the freezer too: the oil in the seeds can turn rancid at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
What is egusi soup made of?
Egusi soup is made of ground melon seeds cooked with palm oil, stock, meat, fish, crayfish, pepper and leafy greens. The exact mix varies by region and family.
Can I make egusi soup without palm oil?
Yes, vegetable oil works and the soup will still be thick and tasty. It will be paler, though, and miss the earthy flavour palm oil gives.
What greens can I use in egusi soup in Canada or the US?
Spinach is the easiest choice and is sold fresh or frozen almost everywhere. Kale also works, and African grocers often carry dried or frozen bitter leaf.
Why does my egusi soup taste bitter?
Ground egusi that has gone rancid tastes bitter, and so does bitter leaf that was not washed enough. Store egusi in the freezer and wash bitter leaf in several changes of water.