Register Now

Login

Lost Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.

Send Message

Login

Register Now

Register to become a member of Answers Nigeria

Egusi Soup

Egusi Soup

Egusi soup is unarguably the most important soup in any Nigerian restaurants, It doubles as Nigeria’s favorite and also the most popular soups in Nigeria.

Different recipes exist across different localities and ethnicities in Nigeria but I will be dropping the most popular and easiest recipe for egusi soup below.

Almost anybody could follow this recipe to make a delicious pot of melon soup.

Ingredients for Egusi Soup

Total cooking time: 90 Mins

Serving 12 People

2KG Chicken meat
4 cups of egusi seeds
200 g Dried fish
Ground crayfish (Half cup)
3 seasoning cubes
300 ml palm oil
5 Scotch bonnet (pepper)
200g Stock Fish Head
Finger size opkei or dawadawa (local spice) optional
1 cup washed Bitter leaves

I used chicken, cow liver and tribe for this soup but you could use just chicken, goat meat or combinations of different kinds of meats.

Melon Seeds

Egusi seeds, also called melon seeds are one of the most popular staple food in Nigeria. They are sold in every Nigerian local market. If you live outside, Nigeria, you will find them in African shops.

Preparation

1. Grind the egusi seeds using a blender or hand grinding machine. There are people in the local Nigerian market that could assist you with grinding melon seeds. They usually do a better job than most blenders would.

2. Season the meat with a teaspoon of salt, sliced onions (half cup), two seasoning cubes and allow to boil for 10 minutes. I started cooking the cow tripe first, then added the chicken and cow liver after 30 minutes.

cooking meat

Stir all together and cook for another 10 minutes.

3. You want the bitter leaves properly washed so you don’t end up with very bitter soup. I like my egusi soup slightly bitter but not very bitter. If you bought pre-washed from the market just boil with only water for 10 minutes.

If you bought fresh bitter leaves, you will spend some time washing and squeezing to reduce the bitterness. Then boil with water for 10 minutes.

4. Grind the crayfish and pepper, set aside.

Wash the fish and stockfish. Just pour hot water over them to soften them, then drain the hot water and wash the dried fish and stockfish. Also set aside.

How To Cook Egusi Soup

1. Add 5 cups of water to the cooked meat in the pot. Use proper measuring cups, a standard measuring cup is 250 ml, 5 cups will be 1000 ml or 1 liter.

Add 300ml palm oil and the ground crayfish and pepper. I pounded my crayfish and peppers together.

cooking soup

2. Allow the soup to boil for the next 10 minutes. Then add the washed fish and stockfish, another seasoning cube and salt to taste.

How to cook soup

3. Taste your soup at this point before adding the ground egusi seeds.

Once you like the taste of your egusi soup, you can go ahead and add the ground egusi (Melon) seeds.
Also, add the ground Okpei or dawadawa at this point (if you are using it)

Melon Soup

4. Once you add the ground melon seeds, cover the soup and allow boiling for 7 minutes.
You can now add the washed bitter leaves. Aside from bitter leaves, you could also use sliced pumpkin leaves (Ugu) as vegetables for Nigerian egusi soup.

Most times, I make melon soup with bitter leaves.

Add Bitter Leaves

Cover your pot half-way and allow the soup to boil for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t get burned.
This is how to cook egusi soup in Nigeria.

In the end, your pot should be looking like this.

Pot of Egusi Soup

I have explained in another article that Nigerian soups are never served as a course meal, they are however paired with Nigerian swallows.

The term “swallow” is used for foods that are been swallowed without chewing… 😀

There are 5 Popular Swallows in Nigeria.

Pounded Yam and Eba (Garri) is top on the list.

What is eba? Learn More.

In the plate below, I have combined eba and egusi soup to be served as lunch, enjoy.

Egusi soup

I have a simple printable recipe for this same soup below. I also included the video for Egusi (melon) Soup.

Egusi Soup Recipe

Egusi (Melon) Soup - How to Prepare Egusi soup

Mr David
This recipe shouws you how to cook egusi soup in just about 90 minutes. Anybody could follow this recipe as long as you could find the ingreidnts.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Nigerian Cuisine
Servings 12 People
Calories 530 kcal

Equipment

  • Pots
  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups of egusi seeds
  • 2 kg Chicken meat
  • 1/2 cup crayfish
  • 200 g Dried fish
  • 3 seasoning cubes
  • 300 ml of palm oil
  • 5 Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 200 g Stock Fish
  • 1 Small Dawadaw or Okpei
  • 1 cup bitter leaves

Instructions
 

  • Start making egusi soup by preparing the ingredients - wash the bitter leaves properly and boil with just water for 10 minutes. precook the meats and grind your melon seeds, crayfish, and peppers.
  • Pour hot water over the dried fish and stockfish, wash and set aside.
  • Once the meat is cooked, add 5 cups of water to it and follow with the 300ml palm oil, ground crayfish/pepper. Allow boiling for 7 minutes.
  • The dried fish and stockfish should be added at this point, stir the soup and allow it to boil for another five minutes.
  • Now you can add the ground melon (egusi seeds), stir and sprinkle another seasoning cube.
  • Salt to your taste.
  • Add the bitter leaves and cover your soup to cook for 6 minutes.
  • This is how to cook egusi soup in Nigeria. Serve with fufu, eba or pounded yam.

Video

Keyword Egusi soup recipe, Melon Soup, Ofe Egusi

Comments ( 9 )

  1. This is just how i make my own soup, this recipe is popular among the Igbo. It is alot easier than the frying method and if you make it well, you will definitely enjoy it. One little difference though, I use ugu leaves instead of bitter leaves. My hubby don’t like bitter foods.

  2. 5 stars
    I told you we have lots of Hausa soups, we even have a version of this melon soup that you are going to love. We call it miyan gushi in Hausa, thanks for the recipe.

  3. Thanks for the recipe, I just want to surprise my Nigerian friends with something from home and egusi soup seem to be the easiest Nigerian soup recipe I see online. I learned I could find the ingredients at an African shop not far from home.
    I am going to serve egusi soup and eba.

  4. 5 stars
    This is my favorite soup, Thanks for showing me how to make it.

  5. I love this method of cooking egusi soup. I have tried the frying style and didn’t like it. I just tried this particular recipe and loving it. Thanks a bunch.

  6. Thanks for this, I love your blog.

  7. 5 stars
    Thanks for this recipe, I think this version of egusi soup is actually easier than the rest I have seen online. Egusi soup is my husband’s favorite so I am learning to make it. I don’t think I have a favorite soup, I am all for rice. I eat all kinds of rice, my kids too. My hubby is the one teaching us to eat swallow and soup. Thanks

What do you think? Leave a Reply.

Recipe Rating