5 Best Delicious Melon Soup Recipes From Nigeria, West Africa
Melon soup popularly known as Egusi in the western part of Africa, Nigeria, is a versatile soup.
Almost every tribe in Nigeria enjoys this delicious delicacy. I won’t say this soup is for a specific tribe/culture since Egusi soup suits every tribe.
In the Northern part of Nigeria, it is referred to as “Miyan Gushi”, in the East they call it “Ofe Egusi”, while in the West it’s known as Ofoelegusi.
This soup can go along with food like Semovita, Amala (yam flour), Pounded yam, Eba (garri flour), Maize flour and many more African, Nigerian solid food.
This soup has various uses, and can even be used for rice instead of the normal stew.
So let’s get started already;
MELON SOUP AND BITTER LEAF
If you want the soup to retain its fresh taste even after being refrigerated for days, then I suggest you prepare it with bitter leaf.
Take it from an expert in preparing melon soup.
Also, the bitter taste provided by the bitter leaf will leave you licking your fingers and smacking your lips for a long time.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Melon Seeds “Egusi”
600g Red beef
1 medium sized Stock fish
2 Medium Smoked fish
1/2 spoon Cray fish
5 chili pepper “Shombo”
3 red scotch bonnet pepper “Ata rodo”
1 medium sized onion
1½ Cup palm oil
1 Cup Bitter leaf – Pre-washed
3 Seasoning cubes
Salt to taste
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING MELON SOUP AND BITTER LEAF
The first thing you should do is either peel off the brown skin revealing the white seed, or even better just purchase the already peeled melon seed and grind it at home. Some market women sell it already peeled. And you can also blend it in the market.
Now you need to wash the bitter leaf you have purchased in hot water to remove some of the bitterness. When done, keep aside.
Wash the bonnet and chili pepper and then blend them together.
You can use any kind of meat or fish you want, but for this recipe am using smoked fish, stock fish and red meat. Now wash all three, remove the bones from the stock and smoked fish and put in a bowl. Place the meat in a pot, add chopped onions, ground pepper, crushed seasoning and allow to boil for 25 minutes. Now add the stock and smoked fish. Allow to boil for 5 more minutes.
In an empty pot; boil with a medium flame; put red palm oil and add your ground melon seed. Mix thoroughly, making sure it doesn’t burn at all.
Now add your already cooked meat, stock and smoked fish and mix. Add ground crayfish and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Finally, add the bitter leaf and allow to simmer for 7 minutes, then turn off the flame and serve warm with any solid food of your choice.
Like I said before, Melon soup is a vast soup and can be prepared in various ways by anyone. Most people enjoy Melon soup when it’s very soft, and this is where waterleaf comes in. It makes the soup soft and a little bit slimy for those that want a slimy feel while eating the soup.
Let’s get to it then.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups of melon seed (ground)
2 kg beef
1 stock fish head
1/2 cup grounded crayfish
2 medium sized smoked catfish
Chili Pepper to taste
1 bunch of waterleaf
1 tsp of palm oil (You can add more)
1 medium sized onion
Salt to taste
Seasoning cubes
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING MELON SOUP AND WATER LEAF
Like I did in the previous recipe, the steps are almost the same. So since I have talked about peeling the melon seed and grinding or buying already ground melon, I won’t elaborate on it again.
In a pot, wash and place the 2kg beef, add chopped onion and seasoning and salt, allow to steam for 15 minutes until the meat is tender.
Wash the smoked fish and put in a bowl.
Wash the water leaf properly with lots of water and place in a bowl.
Pour palm oil in a pot and add the melon, stir properly and add crayfish. As soon as you notice it turning brown, add the entire meat stock and stir again. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Once it’s cooked, add the water leaf and smoked fish. Serve warm with fufu, semovita, eba, etc.
MELON SOUP, UGU LEAF AND TOMATO WITH CHICKEN
This particular recipe is my favorite when it comes to preparing melon soup. I just love it because of the tomato taste that it comes with and the extra aroma it adds to the soup.
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING MELON SOUP, UGU LEAF AND TOMATO WITH CHICKEN
Now, as you all probably know the basic steps to preparing melon soup, this is no different. It’s just that at some point, you change one or two procedures.
Wash and put the 1 kilo of chicken in a pot, increase the flame to a minimum, add salt and seasoning cubes to taste. Add the chopped onion, a little amount of the chili pepper, allow to boil for 15 minutes.
Wash the stock and dried fish, add it to the already boiling chicken and allow to cook for an extra 5 minutes.
Wash and slice the tomatoes in a bowl.
Put the palm oil in a pot, add the already sliced tomatoes and allow to fry for 5 minutes.
Now add the 3 cups of melon to the pot that contains the frying tomatoes and allow to fry for 3 minutes.
Now add the chicken and stir thoroughly, allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Finally, add the Ugu and allow to cook for a minute and serve warm.
MELON AND DRAW SOUP
Basically, this is a combination of smooth thick soup and a slimy soup.
This delicacy is a favorite among those from the eastern part of Nigeria. The draw soup is a delicacy on its own, so imagine it being added to this also delicious melon soup.
This is like driving your palates on steroids.
Smacking your lips already?!
Let’s get to it already.
INGREDIENTS
4 cups of melon seed (grinded)
½ cup of draw soup
2 kg beef
1 stock fish head
1/2 cup grounded crayfish
2 medium sized dried catfish
Chili Pepper to taste
1 bunch of leaf (any you prefer either Bitter leaf, Spinach or Ugu leaf)
Wash beef and put in a pot with minimum flame, add salt and seasoning to taste, allow to boil for 15 minutes.
Wash the stock and dried fish and add to the boiling pot of beef, allow to boil for 5minutes, and pour into a bowl.
Put the palm oil into a pot and add the melon seed, allow to fry for 5 minutes then add the beef, stock and dried fish.
Now sprinkle the draw on the boiling soup until it gets thick.
Add any leaf you prefer either Ugu leaf, Spinach or Bitter leaf, and serve warm.
MELON SOUP WITHOUT PALM OIL
This exotic soup is prepared in many parts of West Africa like I earlier specified.
Now, the only thing that makes the recipe different from the others already mentioned is that palm oil is not required.
Also, this soup is highly recommended for people that have doctor’s prescription not to take palm oil.
Let’s get started.
INGREDIENTS
2 kg beef
4 cups of melon seed (ground)
1 stock fish head
1/2 cup grounded crayfish
2 medium sized dried catfish
Chili Pepper to taste
1 bunch of leaf (any you prefer either Bitter leaf, Spinach or Ugu leaf)
1 medium sized onion
Salt to taste
Seasoning cubes
PROCEDURE FOR MAKING MELON SOUP WITHOUT PALM OIL
First, boil the beef in a pot, add salt and seasoning to taste, add the chopped onions. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Wash and add the stock and dried fish in the pot of beef, allow to boil for 5 minutes.
As soon as you notice the beef, stick and dried fish boiling, add the 4 cups of grounded melon seed and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
Add the chili pepper and the leaf you prefer. Serve warm.
So, I am sure after reading through the various recipes and having a good look at some of the pictures of the various melon soup recipes, you can confidently say preparing any of this recipes won’t be a problem.
It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, melon soup is definitely worth checking out!