A thick, hearty soup made from ground melon seeds cooked with leafy greens, dried fish, and palm oil. The melon seeds create an incredibly rich, nutty broth unique to Central and West Africa.
Ingredients
200g ground egusi (melon seeds)
300g fresh spinach or pumpkin leaves, chopped
200g dried stockfish, soaked and shredded
2 large onions, diced
3 ripe tomatoes, blended
3 tbsp palm oil
3 tbsp ground crayfish
1 scotch bonnet pepper, diced
2 seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
2 cups water or stock
Instructions
1Mix the ground egusi with a small amount of water to form a thick paste. Set aside. Soak the dried stockfish in warm water for twenty minutes, then shred into pieces.
2Heat palm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until golden brown, about eight minutes.
3Add the blended tomatoes and cook for ten minutes until the sauce thickens and the oil separates.
4Add the egusi paste to the pot in spoonfuls, stirring to break it into small lumps. Cook for ten minutes, stirring regularly.
5Add the shredded stockfish, ground crayfish, scotch bonnet pepper, and seasoning cubes. Pour in the water and simmer for fifteen minutes.
6Fold in the chopped greens and cook for another eight minutes until the leaves are wilted and tender. The soup should be thick and rich.
7Serve hot with fufu, pounded yam, or boiled cassava.
Did You Know?
Egusi seeds are from a wild melon related to watermelon, but unlike watermelon, the fruit flesh is bitter and inedible. Only the protein-rich seeds are used.