Egusi Pudding
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
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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:
What is egusi ?
I’m still waiting for the answer… what is egusi.
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.