Egusi Soup

Ingredients

• 5 cups (600g) Egusi (Melon) seeds
• 4 cooking spoons red palm oil
• Beef: best cut Kpomo and Shaki 
• Fish: dry fish and stockfish
• 4 tablespoons ground crayfish
• Pepper and Salt 
• Spinach 
• 4 small stock cubes
• Onions & Bell Pepper

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Cooking Directions

1. 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, the blended Onion and Bell Pepper and start frying.  
2. Start stirring the egusi on low to medium heat. Keep stir-frying for about 15 minutes.
3. Once the Egusi is ready, add it to the meat/fish stock, little by little till everything is added. Add a bit of the water stock from the meat, add another. 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. Add the ground crayfish and pepper.
4. 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 40 minutes to cook egusi properly. 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.
5. Add salt if necessary. If it is too thick, add some water to bring it to a consistency you like, add the spinach.
6. Cover and leave to simmer and it is done!

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