Personally, I think there’s some kind of misconception that egusi soup cannot be fried. This ideology is false! It could be prepared in different ways from boiling to dissolving in water before boiling to frying before cooking. Now, this soup is a perfect example of what fried egusi soup looks like. One thing for sure is, that it tends to add depth in flavor and feel to the soup. Yum! What would be your perfect swallow for this soup?
- View the steps Below
Fat per serving: 0
Directions:::
Step 1: The first step is to peel the egusi by removing the white Egusi seeds from the brown shell. Place the peeled Egusi in a dry mill (The smaller grinder that comes with the Cup blender) and grind till smooth. It might start to cake up but never mind, that’s not a problem.
Step 2: Wash the pumpkin leaves (Ugu) with salt water to kill the germs and rinse with clean water. Chop the leaves and set aside
Step 3: For the Stock, you could use any type of meat or fish you choose to. For this particular recipe, i used a mixture of beef, sharki, pomo and Stock fish. Rinse everything and place in an empty pot. Add just enough water to cover the content of the pot. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the salt to taste then cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and set aside.
Step 4: In an empty pot, pour in the palm oil and ground Egusi. On medium heat, stir fry for about 3 minutes till it starts to dry up but don’t let it burn. Pour in the stock, add the ground crayfish, extra salt if needed, crushed seasoning cubes, stir, then leave it too cook till the egusi absorbs most of the stock in the pot, swells and cakes up.
Step 5: Add the chopped ugu leaves, stir and cover the pot. Leave to simmer for 5-7 minutes before turning off the burner.
Serve with your favorite “swallow“,Boiled white rice or Yam
Egusi Soup With Ugu
Egusi with pumpkin leaves (ugu) is one of my favorite Nigerian soups and also the most common too. This is probably due to the fact that most tribes in Nigeria have it on their menu although the methods of preparation may vary slightly. It could also be prepared with different leaves such as uziza leaf, Onugbu "Bitter leaf, Afang "Wild spinach", water leaf e.t.c - A different leaf means a different flavor.
Ingredients
- 12 medium sized chunks Beef
- 5 medium sized Pomo
- 5 sharki (Tripe)
- 1 stockfish
- 2 fresh pepper
- 1/2 cup crayfish (whole/ground)
- 2 cups egusi seeds
- 1 cup palm oil
- 2 seasoning cubes
- 1 bunch Pumpkin leaves (rinsed)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Preparation:::
• The first step is to peel the egusi by removing the white Egusi seeds from the brown shell. Place the peeled Egusi in a dry mill (The smaller grinder that comes with the Cup blender) and grind till smooth. It might start to cake up but never mind, that's not a problem.
• Wash the pumpkin leaves (Ugu) with salt water to kill the germs and rinse with clean water. Chop the leaves and set them aside
Directions:::
Step 3: For the Stock, you could use any type of meat or fish you choose. For this particular recipe, I used a mixture of beef, sharki, pomo and Stockfish. Rinse everything and place it in an empty pot. Add just enough water to cover the content of the pot. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the salt to taste then cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and set it aside.
Step 4: In an empty pot, pour in the palm oil and ground Egusi. On medium heat, stir fry for about 3 minutes till it starts to dry up but don't let it burn. Pour in the stock, add the ground crayfish, extra salt if needed, crushed seasoning cubes, stir, then leave it to cook till the egusi absorbs most of the stock in the pot, swells, and cakes up.
Step 5: Add the chopped ugu leaves, stir and cover the pot. Leave to simmer for 5-7 minutes before turning off the burner.
Serve with your favorite "swallow", Boiled white rice, or Yam
