Egusi soup

Name: Egusi soup
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 250 g raw egusi seeds, finely ground (or 200 g pre-ground egusi); 600 g goat meat or beef chuck on the bone, cut into 4 cm pieces; 200 g smoked fish (mackerel or catfish) — cleaned, boned, broken into chunks (optional, traditional); 100 g dried prawns or stockfish (panla), soaked 30 min and torn small (optional); 1 medium onion (~150 g), roughly chopped; 2 Scotch bonnet peppers (or 3 habaneros) — adjust to heat tolerance; 2 red bell peppers (~300 g), seeded; 100 ml red palm oil; 3 large fresh tomatoes (~400 g) OR 200 g tomato paste blended with 200 ml water; 4 garlic cloves, finely minced; 5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 2 stock cubes (Maggi or similar, 10 g); 1 tbsp ground crayfish (essential for authentic flavour) — substitute: 1 tbsp ground dried shrimp; 1 bay leaf (or 1 tsp ground bay); 200 g fresh spinach or ugu pumpkin leaves, washed and roughly chopped; 1.5 tsp salt + more to taste; 1 tbsp locust beans (iru/dawadawa) — optional, traditional Yoruba addition; To serve: pounded yam, fufu, eba (gari), or boiled white rice

Egusi soup is Nigeria's soul food — a thick sauce made from toasted and ground egusi seeds (a relative of bitter melon), cooked in red palm oil with meat (beef, goat, or chicken), pumpkin leaves or spinach, and chili pepper. The egusi seeds form a unique texture: granular on the outside, creamy on the inside. Egusi soup is never eaten alone — it always accompanies fufu, eba (solidified garri), or rice. It is celebratory food in southern Nigeria, present at weddings, funerals, and ceremonies. Each region has its own variant, with or without smoked fish, with different greens combinations.

Total time1h 20m

Active time30m

Servings4

DifficultyMedium

Cost$$

Add to my meal plan

❤️

Rich in protein

Filling and nutritious

❄️

Can be frozen

Great for meal prep

🍲

One-pot

Minimal washing up

⭐

Traditional recipe

Authentic taste

Ingredients 4 servings

250 g raw egusi seeds, finely ground (or 200 g pre-ground egusi)
600 g goat meat or beef chuck on the bone, cut into 4 cm pieces
200 g smoked fish (mackerel or catfish) — cleaned, boned, broken into chunks (optional, traditional)
100 g dried prawns or stockfish (panla), soaked 30 min and torn small (optional)
1 medium onion (~150 g), roughly chopped
2 Scotch bonnet peppers (or 3 habaneros) — adjust to heat tolerance
2 red bell peppers (~300 g), seeded
100 ml red palm oil
3 large fresh tomatoes (~400 g) OR 200 g tomato paste blended with 200 ml water
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 stock cubes (Maggi or similar, 10 g)
1 tbsp ground crayfish (essential for authentic flavour) — substitute: 1 tbsp ground dried shrimp
1 bay leaf (or 1 tsp ground bay)
200 g fresh spinach or ugu pumpkin leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1.5 tsp salt + more to taste
1 tbsp locust beans (iru/dawadawa) — optional, traditional Yoruba addition
To serve: pounded yam, fufu, eba (gari), or boiled white rice

How to make it

1EGUSI PASTE: pulse 250 g egusi seeds in a spice grinder or food processor 30 seconds until finely ground but not yet pasty; in a small bowl, mix with 200 ml warm water into a thick, hummus-like paste; let it sit 10 minutes to hydrate fully — this is the secret to the signature lumpy-creamy texture.
2COOK THE MEAT: in a heavy pot, combine 600 g cut meat with 1 chopped onion, 4 minced garlic, grated ginger, 2 stock cubes, 1 tsp salt and 1 L water; bring to boil, then simmer covered 40–50 minutes (longer if using goat) until the meat is tender enough to bite easily but not falling apart; strain and reserve 800 ml of the broth; set the meat aside.
3BLEND THE PEPPER BASE: in a blender, combine 2 red bell peppers, 2 Scotch bonnet peppers, and 3 fresh tomatoes (or paste-and-water mix); blend 1–2 minutes until completely smooth; pour into a wide pan and simmer over medium heat 15 minutes — the mix should reduce by half and the colour deepen to a rich brick-red; this concentration is essential or the soup will be watery.
4FRY THE PALM-OIL BASE: in your soup pot over medium heat, warm 100 ml palm oil 2 minutes until it just shimmers (do NOT smoke it — over-smoking destroys the flavour); add the reduced pepper-tomato base and fry, stirring, 8–10 minutes until the oil floats to the surface and the mixture darkens slightly; this is called "frying the base".
5ADD THE EGUSI: take the hydrated egusi paste by tablespoons and drop dumpling-style into the simmering pepper base — do NOT stir; let the dumplings cook undisturbed 5 minutes, then gently fold them in; some will hold their shape (the lumps) while others break apart and thicken the sauce — this is the desired texture.
6ADD STOCK + MEAT + FISH: pour in 800 ml reserved meat broth; add the cooked meat, 200 g smoked fish (broken into chunks), 100 g soaked dried prawns/stockfish (optional), 1 tbsp ground crayfish, 1 tbsp locust beans (optional), and 1 bay leaf; stir gently, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 15–20 minutes until the soup has reduced and thickened to a pudding-like consistency — it should mound on a spoon, not pour like broth.
7ADD GREENS: stir in 200 g chopped spinach (or ugu/pumpkin leaves) into the simmering soup; cook 5–7 minutes uncovered until the greens are wilted but still bright green; taste and adjust salt and heat; the soup should taste deeply savoury, slightly nutty (from the egusi), with a clean palm-oil finish and a building chili heat.
8REST AND SERVE: turn off the heat and let the soup rest 5 minutes — the flavours meld dramatically in this short rest; serve in deep bowls with the swallow of choice (pounded yam, fufu, eba, or amala) on the side; eat with the right hand: take a small lump of swallow, dip into the soup, and swallow without chewing; boiled white rice is a milder option.