Nigerian Egusi Soup (Fried Method)

The Egusi Soup recipe described on this page is the Fried Method of preparing Nigerian Egusi Soup (Ofe Egusi). This is the oil before egusi method.

Fried Egusi Soup

Nigerian Egusi Soup (Caking Method)

Egusi and Ogbono Soup Combo

 Akpuruakpu Egusi

Egusi Soup for Haters of Egusi Soup

Sunflower Seeds "Egusi" Soup

Other ways of cooking Egusi Soup:

Egusi Soup (Caking Method): I also call this one the Egusi Before Oil method. No frying is involved, making is a healthier way to prepare Egusi Soup.

Akpuruakpu Egusi: where the ground egusi is molded into balls and cooked in the soup such that you will be eating the egusi balls like meat while enjoying the meal. The surrounding egusi in the soup is prepared using the caking method. Go check it out.

If you have been with All Nigerian Recipes for some time, you will know that the fried egusi method is not my favourite way to prepare Egusi Soup. It is not my favourite because it involves frying the ground egusi (melon) seeds. This gives me heart burn. The soup also needs more palm oil than the caking method.

But since I have been receiving requests for how to prepare it, here we go!

Ingredients

4 cups (500g) Egusi (Melon) seeds

3 cooking spoons red palm oil

Beef: best cut and Shaki (cow tripe)

Fish: dry fish and stockfish

2 tablespoons ground crayfish

Pepper and Salt (to taste)

Vegetable: Nigerian pumpkin leaves, spinach or bitter leaf

3 small stock cubes

1 small ogiri okpei (optional)

Important tool

Spice grinder for grinding egusi (melon) seeds:

Notes on the ingredients

To be honest, I may have put 3 cooking spoons of palm oil up there but you will need more. You want the quantity of palm oil that will turn every grain of the ground egusi yellow. If the ground egusi is not well coated, it will burn during frying and the resulting Egusi Soup will be dry and have a burnt taste. If you are concerned about the quantity of palm oil you will used for this soup, it is best to prepare your egusi soups using the Caking Method.

The best meat for Nigerian soups for swallows is red meat with beef being the most common. You can also use goat meat. I have seen some people cook Egusi Soup with chicken, that's fine but the elders will not like it. 😀

If you use chicken, please do not use dry fish and stockfish because those two cannot co-exist with chicken in the same Nigerian pot. 😉

If using bitter leaves, add it a bit earlier because it is a tough vegetable (see the cooking directions below). Remember that they need to be washed to remove all the bitterness unless your family prefers it with the bitter taste.

Ogiri okpei is made with locust beans. It is known as iru in Yoruba. It adds a traditional taste to Egusi Soup.

Before you cook Egusi Soup

Before preparing the soup, soak the dry fish and stock fish till soft. If you are using the very tough stockfish, boil it for 20 minutes and leave in the pot with the hot water to soak for about an hour. If using the softer stockfish, you can just soak them in cool water till you can break them apart with your hands.

When the fish and stockfish are soft, de-bone and break them into sizeable chunks.

Much closer to your cooking time, grind the egusi with a dry mill. Grind the crayfish and the dry pepper separately and set aside.

Rinse the vegetables to be used and cut into tiny pieces.

Cook the beef and fish with the stock cubes till they are well done. You should start cooking the toughest meat and fish first and add the others as they get done. If using a normal pot, I will start with stockfish and shaki, add beef after about 1 hour and cook till done. I can add the dry fish when all the other meat and fish are cooked because it is already cooked, you just need to cook it long enough till it is soft and integrated with the rest of the ingredients. With a pressure pot, I do it differently but that is a process for another post.

Set all these aside.

Cooking Directions

Pour the red palm oil into a dry pot and set on the stove to heat. As soon as the oil melts, add the ground egusi and start frying. If the oil is not congealed, add the egusi as soon as the oil is translucent. Mix the ground egusi with oil till every grain of egusi turns yellow.

Start stirring the egusi on low to medium heat. Keep stir-frying for about 10 minutes.

Add the meat/fish stock (water from cooking the fish and meat) little by little while still stirring the egusi. So you add a bit of the stock, stir-fry for some time, add another, stir-fry and so on. When the stock is exhausted and you feel that the soup is still too thick, you can start adding hot water in the same way till you get the consistency you want. If your choice of vegetable is bitter leaf, add it at this time.

Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, stirring at intervals. Also, top up the water when necessary. If you don't stir it, it will burn. It takes 30 minutes to cook egusi properly else the soup will not taste nice to someone with authentic Nigerian taste buds. Also, egusi that is not cooked long enough may cause upset stomach. The egusi is done when you notice that the oil has separated from the mix.

Once you are happy that it is done, add the ground crayfish and pepper. Stir and add the Nigerian pumpkin leaves or spinach (alternative).

Stir very well and add the cooked stockfish, shaki and meat.

Add salt if necessary. If it is too thick, add some water to bring it to a consistency you like.

Cover and leave to simmer and it is done!

The perfect swallow for Egusi Soup is Pounded Yam. You can also serve it with Eba (Garri), Agidi, Amala, Semolina Fufu, Tuwo Shinkafa or Cassava Fufu.

Tiger nut drink or chufa survived many centuries of testing and now again begins to attract fans of healthy eating. Tiger nuts is a vegetable growing in the ground like a potato. It has existed for thousands of years and has been known to humans since prehistoric times and is considered the oldest food. The first records of its use and consumption are found in the records of the Egyptians in 4000 BC. So what is tiger nut drink?

Tiger Nut drink with dates and coconut

For preparation you'll need:

 glass of tiger nuts

dates

coconut milk (can be replaced with coconut chips or pulp)

ground cinnamon (optinal, may be changed with any other sweet spice )

Nuts are peeled and soaked in water. Put the tiger nuts into the blender. Add dates (without pip) and coconut milk. Mix at high speed until smooth. Carefully pour the mixed nuts through a sieve. Squeeze the remaining liquid.

If you get too thick structure or there is not the right amount of milk, you can add boiled water and mix well. Experiment with proportions to achieve perfect taste.

Cool it down, then pour into a bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator for no more than one week. Serve the drink with ice and sprinkle with cinnamon.

For preparation you need:

230-240 grams of nuts

1 liter of purified water

1 stick of cinnamon (optional)

100 grams of nutmeg

If you want, you can add natural sugar, for example, palm or coconut one.

Thoroughly peel the tiger nuts from the peel, rubbing them between your hands while washing in clean water. Crack the nutmeg shell, peel it away and grate its seeds.

Place the nuts and a cinnamon stick in a bowl and pour in warm water.

Leave it for about 12-24 hours (until nuts are soften).

Put the mix to a blender and add water, which chufa was soaked in.

Mix until they form a smooth paste, adding extra water, if necessary. Mix once more if it's needed.

Cool the resulting paste for an hour, if you use it in this form.

For the preparation of milk, filter the liquid to get rid of the pulp.

Cool in the refrigerator and you can already drink it.

To prepare it you will need:

250 grams of tiger nuts

200 grams of sugar (it is better to take natural)

1.5 liters of water

1 stick of cinnamon

lemon peel

Milk is prepared as in the first recipe. First, the nuts must be soaked in warm water and left until they swell.

Grind them in a blender, adding a little water (about 0.5 liters) and lemon zest.

When a pasty mixture is formed, add the rest of the water, add sugar and cinnamon.

Filter from the pulp (it although possible to leave it) and put in the refrigerator.

What is tiger nut drink and what is the use of it for health?

Tiger nut milk drink is a traditional drink in Nigeria and Spain. Africa is the birthplace of this peanut. In Spain, it has been known since Chufa entered this country and has long become a national drink called Orchata (Horchata).

Milk from this nut is nutritious, does not contain lactose, is rich in calcium and other nutrients. These small nuts contain a large number of minerals useful and necessary for the human body. Vitamins C and E, acting as antioxidants, help to fight the oxidative action of free radicals, reduce cholesterol.

This milk (if you do not add sugar) contains fewer calories than any carbonated drink, but perfectly quenches thirst. The presence of carbohydrates makes it a tasty and healthy source of energy. Amino acids and starches improve the digestive system, help adsorb carbohydrates and fats. Milk has a mild diuretic effect and prevents diarrhea.

Tiger nuts are an ideal choice for people with heart diseases and diabetes, as they contain a large amount of fiber, fatty acids, and vitamins. The tiger nuts can be an excellent source of replenishing nutrients for vegetarians, during fasting.

It is very important to prepare such a drink. The tiger drink bottled and sold in stores can contain a lot of sugar and other little useful, and sometimes not very harmless, ingredients.