Egusi Pudding – highly addictive savory bites made with African egusi seeds and chunks of protein and spices. Makes a wonderful snack bites or as side dish.
Egusi pudding is a highly addictive, exotic savory dish that is widely enjoyed in Cameroon. I am pretty sure there are other West African countries that have a fondness of this pudding but don’t know which ones.
So what is egusi ? It is a wild member of the gourd family, with very dry skin and bitter flesh. It looks the same as watermelon seeds but taste quite differently. They are extremely nutritious- high in protein and oil. According to nourishing planet, they are Composed of nearly 50 percent edible oil and contain another 30 percent pure protein and pack a lot of nutrition into a very small package- who knew they are so nutritious. Now am going to make them more often.
These nutritious seeds are widely consumed in West African Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone as a thickening agent in soups, and to add depth to most soups.
Unfortunately, they can only be purchased in an African store or online, but if you are in West Africa, they are available in most markets. Store it in the refrigerator and it will stay fresh for more than a year.
In this recipe, I used fresh beef, smoked fish and crayfish. You may use any one protein, or any combination. I love the smoky taste of the fish; it adds depth of flavor to this savory pudding.
This is an easy way of making egusi pudding instead of using foil paper or plantain leaves. I use muffin cups to make the egusi. Then steam it in the oven-it cuts my labor in half.
You may serve this with Miondo, bobolo (sour cassava), yams, and plantains.
Watch How To Make It
Egusi Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried fish
- ½ pound beef boiled (cut in bite size) , reserve about 1 ½ cup broth
- 2 cups ground egusi
- 1/3 ground Cray fish
- 1 small scotch bonnet pepper minced or 1 teaspoon dried pepper
- 1-2 bouillon cube or Maggie
- Salt as needed
Instructions
- Boil beef with salt, pepper and some chopped onions in a medium pot until tender. You can add the smoked fish depending on its texture. . Reserve the stock for later use.
- Add the stock and meat, fish, crayfish, pepper to the egusi. Mix well, until fully combine. Adjust for salt add more if needed.
- Place egusi mixture into prepared baking cups. Cover with mixture until about three quarters full. Gently place ramekins pans to the large baking pan.
- Bring the water (to place in the large baking dish) to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins cups.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Let it rest for about 10 minutes or more before removing aluminum foil.
- Carefully remove aluminum foil with an oven mitten.
- Let egusi pudding rest for about 10 minutes or more before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Don Johnson says
What is egusi ?
Don Johnson says
I’m still waiting for the answer… what is egusi.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Don. Egusi is a wild member of the gourd family, with very dry skin and bitter flesh. It looks the same as watermelon seeds but tastes quite differently. These nutritious seeds are widely consumed in West African Countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone as a thickening agent in soups.
Aye says
Hi Imma, as a fellow Cameroonian I can’t stop raving about this site (and on FB and Insta ) to my Cameroon and non-Cameroon peeps alike.
Question: I have pots/pans that can go from stovetop to the oven. Being concerned about pouring hot water on myself, What happens if I have the ceramic bowls (w/ the egusi mixture) and water in the pot on the stove top together first? Get the water to simmer on the stovetop before moving everything into the oven already at 350F…?
Will starting the cooking of the pudding on the stovetop before I put it in the oven messed things up? Will I need to reduce the time in the oven from an hour to say 45 minutes or so?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Aye! Thanks so much for your support . Am so humbled and grateful.
In regards to your question, the method you suggested would work just fine. Yes shorten the cooking time to about 45 minutes . After 45 minutes, if possible test taste one and adjust cooking times .
Much Love
Imma
Boikokobetso says
Hi, can I add nutmeg on my Egusi pudding?
Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
I have not tried it with nutmeg, so can’t say for sure . If you do let me know how it works out. Thanks
Vee says
Hello dear I wanna cook this today someone told me I could add a little bit of white and black pepper. Will it still be like yours?
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, black and white pepper would do just fine.
Jean paul says
Wanted to prepare egusi pudding upon googling for the recipes, i got here thanks so much will keep to updates
ImmaculateBites says
Can’t wait.
Nadege Tita says
thanks for making my day..am so happys
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to be of help.