Soups & Stews

Beniseed Soup

Name: Beniseed Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 200 g sesame seeds (Plain beniseed, cleaned of grit); 600 g beef (Cubed stewing cut); 100 g smoked fish (Cleaned and deboned); 300 g tomatoes; 1 medium red bell pepper (Seeded); 1 small Scotch bonnet pepper; 1 medium onion (Divided); 150 g spinach (Washed and chopped); 50 g fresh sorrel leaves (Yakuwa; washed and sliced); 2 tbsp neutral oil; 0.75 tsp salt; 1300 ml water

Toasted sesame seeds give this beef-and-fish soup a rich body and a gently bitter, nutty finish. Beniseed is the Nigerian name commonly used for sesame. Its soups are documented in Hausa cooking as miyan ridi and in Tiv foodways as ishwa. The seeds supply both flavour and thickness, while the greens and proteins vary. Tuwo and pounded yam are among the accompanying starches. Cultural context: Sesame soups are shared across northern and Middle Belt communities. This recipe follows a northern tomato-and-greens version, not a claim that every named regional soup is identical.

Containers of beniseed soup with greens and meat or fish

Beniseed_Soup.jpg by Aderiqueza, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

25 minPreparation

110 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Simmer beef with half the onion, half the salt and 1 litre water for 60–75 minutes, until tender.
2
Rinse sesame in a fine sieve and drain. Toast in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 8–12 minutes, stirring, until dry and fragrant with a light golden colour. Cool, then grind finely.
3
Blend tomatoes, bell pepper, chilli and remaining onion with 100 ml water. Fry this mixture in the oil for 10–12 minutes, stirring until reduced.
4
Add cooked beef, broth and smoked fish. Mix ground sesame with the remaining 200 ml water and stir it into the pot.
5
Simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly and adding a little hot water if necessary. Fold in spinach and sorrel and cook 5 minutes more.
6
Adjust salt and serve hot with tuwo or pounded yam.

A little kitchen wisdom

Do not toast sesame until black; burnt seeds make the whole pot bitter An all-spinach version loses sorrel’s tartness Tahini is not a direct measure-for-measure replacement for whole toasted seeds Timing: active preparation 25 min; cooking 110 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 135 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: sesame; fish

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Miyan ridi (Hausa version), Ishwa (Tiv name for beniseed soup), Sesame soup

Sesame soups are shared across northern and Middle Belt communities. This recipe follows a northern tomato-and-greens version, not a claim that every named regional soup is identical.

Allergens: sesame, fish