Egusi pepper soup recipe is a delicious delicacy cooked without palm oil and spiced with pepper soup spices; not so colorful but flavorful if I may say. This soup is prevalent among Niger-Delta people. It’s actually a pepper soup with melon seed (Egusi).
Moreover, Egusi seeds when dried serve as a key ingredient in African cuisines. Especially in West Africa where egusi is made in the form of stew, and soup. It is arguably the most popular soup in Nigeria.
Egusi Peppersoup however, is not as popular as the egusi stew and soup. It is a new generation recipe, but absolutely amazing. People who have eaten this delicious delicacy even claim that it tastes better than all other kinds of egusi dish they have previously had.
Even though the soup is referred to as Peppersoup. It is usually served alongside swallow of choice- like Eba, Fufu, Wheat, Starch, Semo, Pounded Yam, Amala. If you are itching to get to the recipes part, well here we go because the soup is very easy to cook.
Egusi soup is melon soup in English. So, Egusi pepper soup is known as melon pepper soup. Homemade pepper soup egusi can be prepared with catfish, chicken, assorted meat. or goat meat. The Egusi seed is usually fried before blending and no tomatoes are added to the soup.
Different types of vegetables can be used in garnishing the soup such as Uziza leaf, Ugu, Bitter leaf, basil leaf, or waterleaf with fresh pepper.
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How to Make Egusi Pepper soup Recipe without Palm Oil
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Egusi (Melon seeds)
- 1/2 kg Cow skin (pomo/Kpomo)
- 1 kg chicken
- 2 tps Crayfish
- 2 small Stockfish
- 1 Dry fish
- 6 pieces Fresh scotch bonnet pepper
- 2 Stock cubes
- 1 Handful of Uziza leaves
- 4 pieces Ehuru (Calabash nutmeg seed)
- 2 pod Uda
- 1 tablespoon Uziza seed
- 2 inches Prekese (Tetrapleura tetraptera)
- Salt to taste
In a situation whereby is difficult to get Ehuru, Uda, Uziza seed, prekese simply go for the grounded normal pepper-soup spice in the market.
Preparation and Cooking
- First and foremost, pour the Egusi seed into a frying pan and fry for about 6-8 minutes. It helps dry up the melon more than its usual state, thereafter, set aside for later use.
- Secondly, wash the fish in hot water and set aside.Then wash the Chicken with clean water, put it in a clean pot, and steam. Add onion, seasoning cubes, and salt to make it tasty.
- Thirdly, cook with a little water initially, but you can add more later depending on the size of your cooking. Add the stockfish, Boil until the chicken is halfway done.
- Add the Kpomo, dry fish, grounded Pepper soup spices, crayfish, seasoning cubes.
- Next is to pour your Egusi into a blender add water and blend to almost smooth; though you will still see some little particles.
- The next step is to pour the blended Egusi into the cooking pot and allow simmering from some minute; and then stir occasionally as the soup boils.
- Finally, the uziza leaves. Neatly diced and washed. It gives the soap an aromatic scent that makes it irresistible.
- Adjust salt and cook for another 2 minutes before removing from heat.
Pepper-Soup Egusi is ready
Serve and enjoy!
2 comments on “Egusi Pepper soup – Egusi Soup without Palm Oil”
Egusi peppersoup otherwise known to the Itsekiris in the Niger delta as Gbagba pogiri is certainly not a new generation soup. It has been an indigenous soup even before my 50+ years. Yes, the main base is peppersoup but instead of uziza, a dried crushed leaf called Beletete is used instead. A bit of bitterleaf can also be added, which is entirely optional.
Thanks for the Info we now know Egusi pepper soup is also called Gbabga Pogiri.