Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup is an outstandingly delicious, quick, and easy soup with ground egusi seeds, similar to pumpkin seeds. This meaty, nutty, spicy soup is protein-packed and full of tasty greens. And it's also the ultimate West African comfort food.

Course Main

Cuisine African

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 382kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

1 pound (453 g) meat, smoked turkey, smoked fish or beef, or any meat of your choice
1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
1 teaspoon (2 g) pepper
1 teaspoon (2 g) smoked paprika
¼ cup (62.5 ml) canola oil (see note #3)
¼ cup (62.5 ml) palm oil (see note #3)
½ medium onion, chopped
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, about 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup ground egusi
⅓ cup ground or smashed crayfish
1 cup (30 g) spinach, or more (I used frozen spinach)

Instructions

In a medium-sized saucepan, boil the beef seasoned with salt (garlic salt), pepper, smoked paprika, pepper, and onions until tender - make sure you add plenty of water, so you have about 3-4 cups of beef stock for the soup. Remove the beef and reserve the stock.
Heat the canola and palm oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add your choice of meat and crayfish, and continue cooking.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, garlic, and 1-2 cups of beef stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Add the ground egusi and simmer on medium heat for approximately 10 more minutes. Then add beef stock as needed to get the desired consistency or prevent burning.
Finally, throw in the spinach and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve warm with fried plantains, fufu, yams, or your favorite starchy side dish.

Notes

Bitter greens are good for you, but not everyone enjoys them. Adding a little sugar will balance the bitterness.
You don't want watery broth, so add just enough water to barely cover the meat. You can add more water if you need to later, but you can't take it out.
This recipe uses a lot of oil, and some people may think it's too much. Feel free to reduce the amount of oil to a couple of tablespoons if you're worried about the fat content.
Grilling the meat you remove from the pot for a few minutes really amps up the deliciousness.
Have you ever had peppers that got a little old and started wrinkling? I'm not talking about the moldy ones; just kinda dried out. They're not ideal for a salad, but they're perfect for soups because they don't add as much moisture.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition