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.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450g) meat (I used beef, but smoked turkey, smoked fish, and your meat of your choice work fine)
• 1 teaspoon (6g) salt (or garlic salt)
• 1 teaspoon (2-3g) black pepper
• 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
• ½ medium onion, chopped (half for the broth and the other half for the soup)
• 3 cups (700ml) water (plus more as needed)
• ¼ cup (60ml) canola oil (see note #2)
• ¼ cup (60ml) red palm oil (see note #3)
• ⅓ cup (18-20g) crayfish (ground or smashed)
• 2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic (2 teaspoons or 10g minced garlic)
• 1 cup (120g) ground egusi seeds
• 1 cup (30-60g) spinach or more (I used half a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach)

Instructions

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

Tips & Notes:

1. Tougher cuts of meat may take 3 hours to become tender, but you can speed up the cooking time with a pressure cooker.
2. This recipe uses a lot of oil, and some people may think it’s too much. Feel free to reduce the amount to a couple of tablespoons if you’re worried about the fat content.
3. Red palm oil is NOT the same as the commercially produced palm oil that causes so much controversy. Plus, it offers several health benefits when used wisely.
4. Searing the meat you remove from the pot for a few minutes improves flavor.
5. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on your choice of ingredients. (immaculatebites)