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Egusi Soup (Nigerian Melon Seed Stew)

Name: Egusi Soup (Nigerian Melon Seed Stew)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigeria
Ingredients: 300 g ground egusi seeds (melon seeds); 500 g beef chuck or goat meat, cut into bite-sized chunks; 150 g smoked dried catfish, washed and deboned; 100 ml pure red palm oil; 3 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 1 piece large red onion, divided (half chopped, half blended); 2 piece Scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo), blended; 1 piece red bell pepper (tatashe), blended; 200 g fresh ugwu leaves (fluted pumpkin greens) or chopped spinach; 50 g fresh bitterleaf (washed to remove bitterness) or waterleaf; 2 piece fermented locust bean cakes (iru/ogiri); 1 tsp sea salt

Rich, nutty ground melon seed soup simmered with leafy greens, smoked catfish, and aromatic palm oil.

Cook mode

stewgluten-freespicyseafood-and-meattraditional

The story

Uniting Nigeria across ethnic lines from Yoruba to Igbo and Edo households, Egusi Soup is the quintessential celebration soup. Melon seeds (Citrullus lanatus) are ground to provide protein, richness, and body, creating curds that absorb the deep flavors of dried fish, crayfish, and local greens.

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