Egusi peppersoup is a Nigerian soup which originated from Delta State and popular among the Urohobo people. I went to visit a friend from Delta State and she offered me Egusi peppersoup with Boiled Plantain! I had never tried it or even heard of it before! Considering my love for Plantains, I wasn’t about to let this pass, plus I like to try new foods and the aroma from the bowl wouldn’t let me refuse it. I tried it out and i was blown away! I fell absolutely in love with it. Her cook only just started preparing after I got to her house which was less than an hour before. I had some many questions!!! Did she make it from scratch? How was it made? It doesn’t look like there’s Palm Oil in it, Did she use any?? I had so many questions that needed answers. LOL. I really enjoyed that meal mostly because i wasn’t expecting it, it was so different from the regular ‘Soups’ I was familiar with.
After we finished our business for the day, I had to beg her to set aside a few hours to teach me how it’s made which she did about a week later. I’ve made this Soup almost every week since and introduced all my friends to it who were just as clueless about it as i was before i tried it. We’ve had it with everything from Eba, Semovita to Pounded Yam and Rice! The options are endless really. I posted it on Instagram and i realized quite a few of my followers weren’t familiar with it, so i decided to make a video and share with you guys, because clearly a lot of you have been missing out.
Egusi peppersoup is bascially Egusi (ground melon seed) infused with peppersoup spice. It is also kind of cooked like you will Peppersoup, just have your Egusi and Peppersoup Spice and the rest just kind of works itself out. It is so easy and quick to make and like any other soup the proteins or seafood used will influence the taste of the soup. I opted to use Chicken and Goat meat and i also threw in some dried prawns which made the soup absolutely fantastic. You can use turkey, fish,shrimps, or anything else available to you really and still get the same delicious results. I used some Uziza leaves for that extra oomph and it took the soup up a notch! You can also use Scent Leaves if you prefer.
Before blending the Egusi (Melon Seeds) i toasted them for a few minutes to release it’s oil and for the “nut-like” flavor it has when crisp. This is a thing of preference, you can skip this step if you don’t have the time.
With that being said, i hope you give this recipe a try and i’d like to know how it went, I know you’ll love it as much i did. I’ll be waiting for your comments.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
150g Egusi
400g Chicken
200g Goat meat
65g Dried Prawns
2 Cups Chicken broth
11/2 Tbsp Peppersoup Spice
1 Tsp Cameroon Pepper
2 Tbsp Crayfish
Handful Uziza leaves
2 Stock Cubes
1 Tsp Salt
Directions
1. Toast the Egusi seeds in a fry pan on low to medium heat for 3 minutes.
2. Blend the Egusi seeds with some water to form a thick paste.
3. Place pot on medium to high heat, pour in Chicken broth, then add shrimps, combine all ingredients, add in meats, cover the pot and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Pour the blended Egusi into the soup, allow to cook for 7 minutes.
5. Sprinkle handfull of Uziza leaves, allow to boil for 2 minutes to allow the Uziza release its flavor. Your soup is ready!
6. Enjoy!
Source: The Kitchen Muse