Egusi soup is a popular soup eaten by most tribes in Nigeria. Egusi (melon seed), is a soup preferred by many. The taste is yummy, the outcome of the soup is also eye-appealing. Nigerian Egusi soup can be prepared in various ways but the cooking methods sometimes differ from tribe to tribe and the taste depends on the egusi soup recipe you followed.
Egusi soup is mostly served with pounded yam which many people consider as the best. It can also be eaten with fufu, eba/garri, semolina. And in some persons, they prefer to eat egusi soup with rice.
Even if, there are variations in cooking egusi soup, however, the ingredients for egusi soup for whatever cooking method you choose to use are the same.
Egusi soup recipe, here are ingredients for egusi soup:
- Egusi (Melon seeds).
- Meat-Beef, goat meat, ponmo (cowhide).
- Stockfish.
- Dried fish.
- Ugu/bitter leaf/spinach/uziza leaf.
- Palm oil.
- Fresh pepper- Yellow pepper.
- Crayfish.
- Salt
- Seasoning cubes (Maggi)
- Onion
Benefits of eating Egusi soup
Whatever egusi recipe you choose to follow, the egusi soup has many health benefits. Egusi soup is one of the most sought after soups in gatherings. It is a soup you get to see in social events. Egusi soup is a delicious meal. Aside from that, it is a great soup, egusi (melon seeds) has some great health benefits such as:
- Egusi is good for the heart. It makes the heart function well.
- It improves vision. Egusi has a considerable amount of vitamin A, which helps to improve eye vision.
- Reduces inflammation. Egusi contains some anti-inflammatory properties.
Important note: Whatever ever method you choose to cook your egusi soup, do not add to much palm oil. Egusi is known to be very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. It contains oil. It is also high in cholesterol.
Read also: Easy method on How to Cook Nigerian Fried Rice
How to prepare Nigerian Egusi soup
Preparing egusi soup sometimes is based on choice. It can also be because one is only acquainted with a particular cooking method. As earlier stated, there are different ways to prepare egusi soup. In this article, I shall list the egusi soup recipe.
Frying method of cooking egusi soup
This is a popular method. The taste and aroma are simply nice. To follow this egusi soup recipe, you first add palm oil in a pot, allow it to heat up a little, and don’t make the oil very hot. Add onion and egusi. Start frying the egusi (melon seed).
Stir until the egusi is dried. While doing this, do not allow the egusi to get burnt( Don’t’ deep fry your egusi)
Add the cooked meat and stock into the egusi and stir until it completely dissolves.
Cook for 10 minutes and add pepper, crayfish, stockfish, and dried fish.
Allow it to cook for another 10 minutes. Then add your vegetable. If it is ugu, once you add the ugu to the pot, bring it down immediately. For the bitter leaf, you can allow it to cook for 5 minutes.
Bring down and serve with any bolus (swallow of your choice).
Boiling/non-frying method of preparing egusi soup
This egusi soup recipe is recommended by dieticians as the best, especially for people, advised not to eat fried foods. To prepare your egusi soup using the non-frying method, here are procedures for it.
- Wash the meat.
- Season the meat with stock cubes, salt, a bulb of onion, and boil until it is tender. If you are using tripe (shaki) and ponmo, you may cook them before the beef or goat meat as they take time to cook.
- Wash the stockfish properly and add them to the pot.
- Pour the grounded egusi into the pot, stir and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Add sufficient water so that the egusi won’t get burnt.
- Add palm oil, pepper, dried fish and allow it to cook for 10 minutes.
- Now, add the vegetable-Ugu/spinach/bitter leaf or the uziza leaf.
- The food is ready. Serve with hot pounded yam or any bolus of your choice.
The moulding method of preparing egusi soup
This is another great egusi soup recipe. To get this done, you are to mould the grounded egusi into balls and add to boiling water that contains the assorted meat and stockfish.
Using this method to prepare egusi soup is healthy. No frying and if you enjoy eating the balls like meat, then this method should be your best.
Conclusion
Egusi soup indeed is a special delicacy, it is also important to note that the fats content in egusi is quite high and can lead to excessive weight gain. If you can’t stay without eating egusi soup every day, it is crucial you add adequate vegetables.
The coking method as listed here are popular and easy to make. It is good you try out on other methods egusi soup recipe to see for yourself.
Egusi soup is easy to prepare. Do ensure you cook the egusi properly. Uncooked egusi can cause stomach upset and if not well cooked, the egusi soup will not taste nice.
