Egusi is a simple West African soup that is hearty, delicious, healthy, and rich in flavors. Combining ground melon seeds with chicken, and a variety of vegetables, you will love this recipe!
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With its spicy, nutty, and exotic taste, egusi continues to be a classic dish in West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. It's so good, no wonder it has grown in popularity around the world.
Strictly speaking, egusi has the structure of a stew, even though it is known as a soup. If you're curious about what egusi is, I delve into this in my vegan egusi stew recipe.
why you will love this recipe
- ❤️️rich and flavorful.
- ❤️️loaded with protein from melon seeds and chicken, as well as vitamins from leafy greens, it certainly a nutritious choice.
- ❤️️egusi stew is a delightful way to explore and savor the essence of West African cuisine.
- ❤️️it's nut-free and keto-friendly.
ingredient notes
The detailed ingredient-measurements and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
To make egusi stew, you will need some egusi seeds. The star of the dish, these are readily available to buy in most African shops and in large online shops.
Smoked dried fish, like catfish or tilapia, adds a smoky flavor. Red palm oil gives color and a distinct taste, but feel free to use your preferred cooking oil.
A tomato, onions, red bell peppers, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, African bird eye peppers, and spinach are our vegetables of choice. Other greens such as ugwu (pumpkin leaves), uziza leaf, okra, and kale can also be used instead of spinach.
We season the soup with some salt, pepper, bouillon cubes (I used Maggi, some thyme, locust bean seeds (iru or dawa dawa), and ground crayfish.
In true West-African style, assorted meats are essential. This recipe features fish, chicken and beef tripe (shaki), but goat meat, cow feet, or lamb are great too.
how to cook egusi soup
Make the broth:
- Start by cooking the chicken, tripe, onion, salt, and spices in a pot. I normally don't add water at this point, just so the seasonings can penetrate the meats.
- Add some water, and cook until the chicken is tender, then remove the chicken from pot.
- Let the tripe continue to cook until tender, then remove it from the pot. Reserve the broth.
Make the stew:
- Blend the red bell peppers, tomato, habanero or scotch bonnet peppers, bird's eye chilis, and onion until smooth.
- Fry diced onion and locust bean seeds (iru) in palm oil, in a pan.
- Add blended peppers, salt, and pepper.
- Cover and cook until liquid reduces, and the oil floats on top.
- Combine ground egusi seeds with a little bit of water to form a paste.
- Add chunks of egusi paste and cook on low with minimal stirring.
- Add smoked dried fish and simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken, crayfish, beef tripe, and reserved broth. Add more or less broth depending on how thick you would like your egusi soup to be.
- Gently stir in the spinach. Cover, and cook for a few minutes.
- Check and adjust the seasonings.
- Serve it with fufu, or your favorite swallow!
💡Quick tips: Nigerian cooking often uses a significant amount of oil, making egusi soup calorie-dense. Reduce calorie content by using less oil. If you're grinding your own egusi seeds, ensure to check through them to remove any unwanted debris, like small stones
serving suggestions
Serve egusi soup with fufu, pounded yam, fried plantain, eba, amala, or your favorite swallow. It also goes well with boiled or fried rice.
flavouring your egusi seeds
For maximum flavour, I sometimes like to combine my ground egusi seeds with blended onion, and just a tiny amount of water when making the paste. This enhances the taste of the egusi stew.
You can also add crayfish or crumble a seasoning cube to the paste, before cooking it.
how do I make it lumpy?
To make your egusi lumpy, you want to make a thick paste comprising ground egusi seeds and water. You are then going to add an egg to this. I personally do not use eggs as I feel egusi is already protein packed enough.
Additionally, once the egusi paste has cooked, you want to use a wooden spoon to break it into small or large lumps, as desired.
some useful tips
- If not cooked properly, egusi can cause diarrhoea or an upset tummy. Make sure to cook it long enough.
- The flavor of the soup largely depends on the quality of the egusi seeds. Use ground egusi made from fresh, shelled seeds.
- Preserve leftover egusi stew by letting it cool and storing it in airtight containers; refrigerate for 4-5 days or freeze for 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm on the stovetop or microwave in 2-minute intervals until heated through.
more African recipes
- Chicken and Jollof Rice
- South African Rice
- Zobo with Pineapple and Ginger
- Dawa Cocktail
- Kenyan Chapati
- South African Beef Stew with Potatoes
- Samaki wa Kupaka - Grilled fish cooked in coconut sauce.
📖 Recipe
Egusi Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Broth
- 450 g chicken (about 1 lb)
- 250 g beef tripe - shaki (approximately 0.5 lb)
- 1 onion finely chopped or blended
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Maggi or your preferred bouillon seasoning cube
- 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
- 1-2 cups water for boiling the meat (or more, until the tripe is tender)
For the egusi soup
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 medium-sized tomato
- 2-3 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (or as preferred)
- 4 African bird's eye chilis (Fresno chiles, or as preferred)
- 2 medium-sized onions (one for blending, dice and reserve the other one for frying the egusi)
- ½ cup palm oil (use more or less, as preferred)
- 2 tablespoon iru - locust bean seeds, soaked in hot water, then drained (or dawa dawa)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups ground egusi
- ⅓ cup water (for making the egusi paste)
- 225 g smoked dry fish - approximately ½lb (such as catfish or tilapia - soaked in hot water, drained, bones removed and broken into small pieces)
- 2 tablespoon crayfish
- 500 g sliced fresh or frozen spinach - approximately 1 lb cleaned and drained
Instructions
Make the Broth
- In a pot, combine chicken, tripe, onion, salt, Maggi, and scotch bonnet pepper. Without adding water, simmer, stirring occasionally, to allow the seasonings to flavor the meats.
- Once most of the liquid has evaporated, add the water. Cover, and cook until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken using a slotted spoon. Set this aside. Tripe requires longer to cook so continue boiling until tender (about 15 - 45 min, depending on its texture).
- Similarly, use a slotted spoon to remove the tripe (see notes below). Set aside and reserve the broth.
Make the Stew
- Blend the red bell peppers, tomato, scotch bonnet peppers, bird's eye chilis, and onion until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water to help with the blending if necessary. Set aside.
- Heat palm oil in a medium pot until translucent, but do not bleach it.
- Add the diced onion and iru (locust beans), and fry briefly for about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the blended peppers, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until much of the liquid has reduced, stirring from time to time. The oil will come to the top once ready.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ground egusi with water to form a thick paste.
- Gently pinch chunks of the egusi paste and add this to the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow the sauce to cook for 20 to 30 minutes with little or no stirring, or until the egusi forms a compact mass.
- Keep an eye on the sauce. Add more water or broth if necessary, and gently shake the pan or pot to prevent burning.
- Add the smoked dried fish, carefully stir to combine, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, beef tripe, crayfish, and ⅓ cup of the reserved broth or water, then simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add more or less broth, depending on how thick you like your egusi soup.
- Add the spinach then use a wooden spoon to gently stir. Break the egusi accordingly, depending on how lumpy you like your soup.
- Cook covered for a further 5 minutes, then check and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with fufu, pounded yam, or your favorite swallow.
Notes
- Once boiled, you can choose to fry, bake, or air fry your chicken and tripe, to give it some more flavor.
Amy Liu Dong
This is my first time making this egusi soup and it turns out so great, everyone loves it!
Jamie
I have never tried to make an egusi soup. It looks easy and delicious, saving this recipe as my reference. Thank you!
DK Park
This soup looks delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe, now, i'll make this tomorrow and enjoy it by myself!
Savita
This Egusi Soup recipe is an absolute gem! The rich blend of ground melon seeds, hearty vegetables, and flavorful broth creates a culinary delight. Thanks for sharing this authentic and easy-to-follow recipe; it has become a favorite in my kitchen.