Hello Steemit family! It's your favorite baby girl @classicprincess back again with another exciting post.
Today, I am so excited to take you all along on my cooking journey as I prepare one of my absolute best dishes: rich, tasty, and mouthwatering Egusi Soup!
Nothing brings me more joy than cooking a proper homemade meal after a busy week. Egusi soup is a huge favorite in many homes, and everyone has their own special way of making it. Today, I’m sharing my exact recipe and step-by-step process so you can replicate this goodness in your own kitchen!
Ingredients List
Before we fire up the gas burner , let us look at all the yummy ingredients used for this pot of soup.
Proteins & Assorted Meats:
Beef
Towel (Shaki / Tripe)
Intestine
Dry fish
Dried Prawns
Grounded Crayfish
Spices, Vegetables & Base:
Ground Egusi (Melon seeds) paste
Palm oil
Chopped Onions
Blended Fresh Pepper
Native Locust Beans (Iru / Dawadawa)
Seasoning cubes & Salt
Fresh Ugu (Fluted Pumpkin) leaves
Step-by-Step Cooking Process
Step 1: Prepping and Steaming the Beef
First things first, cleanliness is key when cooking! I washed my beef, towel (shaki), and intestine thoroughly under running water until they were sparkling clean.
The beef, seasoning and steaming point
After washing the meat clean, I transferred everything into a neat cooking pot. To get that deep flavor right into the meat, I added chopped onions, salt, seasoning cubes, and fresh pepper for taste.
I covered the pot and allowed the meat to steam in its own natural juices for a few minutes. Once the juices were released and seasoned well, I added enough water to cover the meat so it could cook until tender and give me a rich meat stock.
While the meat was bubbling away, the kitchen already started smelling so good! Getting your meat stock right is really the secret to a rich and flavorful egusi soup base.
Step 2: Bleaching the Oil and Making the Flavor Base
Once the meat was well-cooked, I set it aside and placed another clean pot on the burner.
Added oil and onions
I poured in a generous amount of palm oil and let it heat up for just a few seconds. You don't want to over-bleach your oil; just heat it enough to remove the raw taste.
Next, I tossed in my chopped onions. The moment onions hit hot palm oil, that aroma is just unbeatable!
Added pepper and locust beans
After the onions sizzled for a bit, I added my blended fresh pepper and the native locust beans (Iru). Locust bean is a native spice that elevates egusi soup from ordinary to extraordinary! I stirred everything together thoroughly to let the flavors blend into the oil.
Step 3: Adding Egusi, Seafood, and Meat Stock
Added the Egusi
Now comes the main star of the dish—the egusi! I mixed my ground egusi with a little water to form a smooth paste before adding it to the frying pepper and oil mixture.
I gave it a gentle stir and allowed it to steam and fry gradually so it wouldn't burn at the bottom of the pot. Frying the egusi paste helps it form nice, tasty lumps in the soup.
Prawns and crayfish
After steaming the egusi, I added my washed dry fish, dried prawns, and grounded crayfish powder. The combination of seafood and locust beans created such a rich, authentic aroma!
Added meat and others
Next, I poured in the rich meat stock along with all the steamed beef, towel, and intestine. I stirred everything together gently, covered the pot, and allowed it to simmer on medium heat so all the proteins could absorb the deep egusi flavor.
Step 4: The Final Touch - Vegetables!
Next is vegetables
Once the soup had cooked for some time and thickened up nicely, it was time for the green goodness. I added my freshly washed and chopped Ugu leaves right into the pot.
I stirred the leaves into the soup gently. You don't want to overcook your vegetables so they can retain their bright green color and nutrients!
Ready to Serve and Eat
I covered the pot for just a couple of minutes to let the leaves soften slightly, and then I brought the pot down from the heat.
Look at that rich, colorful, delicious pot of Egusi Soup! It turned out super thick, flavorful, and packed with so many delicious bites of beef, dry fish, and prawns. You can pair this with pounded yam, eba, semo, or fufu!
Thank you so much for joining me in my kitchen today!
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