LounjeLounjePlan my week

Nupe Egusi Soup

Also known as Nupe Egusi Soup (Niger State)

The Nupe people of Niger State have their own distinctive preparation of egusi soup that draws from both the Yoruba Southern traditions and the Northern Hausa cooking culture — reflecting the Nupe geographic and cultural position as a bridge between Southern and Northern Nigeria. Nupe Egusi uses palm oil in a nod to Southern cooking but incorporates dawadawa and locust beans in the Northern tradition.

Nupe Egusi Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 big cups of ground egusi (melon seeds)
  • Half a medium chicken or big handful of beef
  • 2 big handfuls of stockfish, soaked
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned
  • 2 cooking spoons of red palm oil
  • 1 tablespoon of dawadawa (locust beans)
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 4 big handfuls of fresh spinach or local leaves (uziza or bitter leaf), chopped
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • Meat stock as needed

Method

  1. 01

    Cooking the Meat. Season and cook meat and stockfish for 25 to 30 minutes. Reserve stock.

  2. 02

    Frying the Nupe Base. Heat palm oil in a wide pot. Add onion and fry 2 minutes. Add dawadawa and fry 1 minute. Add blended Atarodo and ground ginger. Fry for 12 minutes until deeply cooked and oil floats on top.

  3. 03

    Frying the Egusi. Mix egusi with water to a paste. Drop into the fried pepper base without stirring initially. After 5 minutes, stir and fry for a further 5 minutes until nutty and cooked.

  4. 04

    Building and Finishing. Add cooked meat, stockfish, smoked fish, ground crayfish, remaining seasoning cubes and salt. Add enough meat stock to reach desired consistency. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped leaves, stir through and cook for 8 minutes. Taste and adjust all seasonings.

More soups & broths