Soups & Stews

Egusi Pepper Soup (Delta-Style)

Name: Egusi Pepper Soup (Delta-Style)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 800 g goat meat (small bone-in pieces); 180 g egusi seeds (finely ground after optional toasting); 40 g dried prawns (cleaned); 25 g ground dried crayfish; 1.5 tbsp Nigerian pepper-soup spice (food-grade labelled blend; check salt and allergens); 0.5 tsp ground Cameroon pepper (or ordinary dried chilli, a different flavour); 10 g uziza leaves (washed and finely sliced); 1 small stock cube (optional); 1600 ml water; 0.75 tsp salt

A light, spicy goat broth thickened with ground egusi and finished with uziza. Egusi pepper soup uses the melon seed in a different setting from a palm-oil leaf soup. The Kitchen Muse describes learning it through a Delta friend and identifies its Urhobo association; research on Urhobo soups also records the preparation. Pepper-soup spices remain prominent, while the ground egusi gives the broth body without turning it into a heavy stew. Boiled plantain is one documented companion. This version keeps that oil-free character and cooks the goat fully before adding the seeds, so tenderness and texture can be controlled separately. Cultural context: Documented particularly in Urhobo/Delta cooking, without claiming exclusivity. The defining oil-free pepper-soup method is preserved.

25 minPreparation

120 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Put goat, half the salt, optional stock cube and 1.1 litres water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 60–85 minutes, until tender, adding measured water if needed.
2
For an optional toasted flavour, warm whole egusi seeds in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, then cool and grind. Mix the ground egusi with 250 ml cool water to make a pourable slurry.
3
Add prawns, crayfish, pepper-soup spice and dried pepper to the goat. Add remaining water as needed for a loose broth, then simmer 5 minutes.
4
Stir in the egusi slurry gradually. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, stirring the base often. Add a little hot water if it becomes too thick; it should remain a soup rather than set into a paste.
5
Add uziza for the last 2–3 minutes. Adjust salt only after the spice blend has cooked. Serve hot with separately boiled plantain, yam or a swallow, taking care over bones.

A little kitchen wisdom

A labelled Nigerian pepper-soup blend is preferable to an unidentified spice mixture. No palm oil is added in this version. Timing estimate: active preparation 25 min; cooking 120 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 145 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research formulation; not kitchen-tested. Allergen checks: Crustaceans; Melon seed; Check spice blend and stock cube labels

Recipe notes & sources

Research formulation; not kitchen-tested

Documented particularly in Urhobo/Delta cooking, without claiming exclusivity. The defining oil-free pepper-soup method is preserved.

Allergens: Crustaceans, Melon seed, Check spice blend and stock cube labels

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Soups & Stews

Egusi Pepper Soup (Delta-Style)

25 minPreparation

120 minCooking

6Servings

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Put goat, half the salt, optional stock cube and 1.1 litres water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 60–85 minutes, until tender, adding measured water if needed.
2
For an optional toasted flavour, warm whole egusi seeds in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, then cool and grind. Mix the ground egusi with 250 ml cool water to make a pourable slurry.
3
Add prawns, crayfish, pepper-soup spice and dried pepper to the goat. Add remaining water as needed for a loose broth, then simmer 5 minutes.
4
Stir in the egusi slurry gradually. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, stirring the base often. Add a little hot water if it becomes too thick; it should remain a soup rather than set into a paste.
5
Add uziza for the last 2–3 minutes. Adjust salt only after the spice blend has cooked. Serve hot with separately boiled plantain, yam or a swallow, taking care over bones.