Egusi Ijebu (Smooth Leaf-Free Melon Soup)

Name: Egusi Ijebu (Smooth Leaf-Free Melon Soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 250 g shelled egusi seeds; 500 g stewing beef (cubed); 150 g smoked fish (deboned); 150 g onion (50 g for meat, remainder for puree); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper; 1 tbsp commercial food-grade ogiri (use a clearly labelled product; do not ferment seeds at home); 2 tbsp ground dried crayfish; 60 ml red palm oil; 1500 ml water (divided); 0.75 tsp salt

A smooth melon-seed soup with smoked fish, tender beef and fermented ogiri, without leafy greens. The texture of egusi Ijebu is part of its identity. Lola Osinkolu describes a soup without the leafy greens familiar in many other egusi recipes, and Ajoke of My Active Kitchen stresses a smooth consistency rather than large curds. Some cooks toast the seeds first; others blend them directly with peppers and seasoning. This version follows the blended approach. Its gently thickened broth can be eaten with eba, pounded yam or ebiripo, with ewedu offered separately when desired. Cultural context: Ijebu cooks document a smooth, usually leaf-free egusi soup. This is deliberately retained as a distinct variant of the existing curd-and-greens Yoruba egusi.

20 minPreparation

110 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Simmer beef with 50 g onion, half the salt and 800 ml water for 50–70 minutes, or until tender. Top up only as needed and retain the stock.
2
Grind egusi finely, then blend with the remaining onion, pepper, ogiri and 400 ml water until very smooth.
3
Warm palm oil gently in a separate heavy pot. Pour in the egusi puree carefully and whisk thoroughly. Add 500 ml of the meat stock, making up any shortfall with water.
4
Cook at a gentle simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring frequently from the base and breaking small lumps with a whisk. Add measured remaining water as needed to keep a flowing soup.
5
Add beef, smoked fish and crayfish. Simmer another 10 minutes until all is hot, the seeds taste cooked and small oil droplets appear. Adjust salt.
6
Serve without adding greens to this pot. If desired, place ewedu alongside with the chosen swallow. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.

A little kitchen wisdom

An immersion blender can smooth the sauce before adding the fish and meat. This recipe does not require smoking or bleaching palm oil. Timing estimate: active preparation 20 min; cooking 110 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 130 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research formulation; not kitchen-tested. Allergen checks: Fish; Crustacean shellfish; Melon seed; Check ogiri ingredients

Recipe notes & sources

Research formulation; not kitchen-tested

Ijebu cooks document a smooth, usually leaf-free egusi soup. This is deliberately retained as a distinct variant of the existing curd-and-greens Yoruba egusi.

Allergens: Fish, Crustacean shellfish, Melon seed, Check ogiri ingredients