If you're a fan of egusi soup, you must try efo elegusi! This Yoruba style preparation is flavorful and rich with fried egusi, tomato, and lots of leafy green spinach.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my seafood okro soup with spinach, too!
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Efo Elegusi vs Egusi Soup
Egusi soup originated with the Igbo people of Nigeria and is known as ofe egusi in their language. But it is popular across Nigeria and different tribes have added their own touches in the form of techniques and ingredients.
Efo Elegusi is the Yoruba name and preparation method for soup with ground egusi and in English is translates to vegetable soup with egusi. There are a few distinctions that make efo elegusi different, including frying the ground egusi seeds, using iru, and adding blended tomato. Some people say that we Yorubas will add tomato and pepper to almost anything and today's recipe is no exception!
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Clean Whole Food Ingredients - This egusi is filled with fresh produce and minimally processed ingredients for a hearty stew dish you can feel proud to serve your family.
Filled with Protein - You can customize your soup with most any kind of protein, including seafood, poultry, and meat.
Layers of Flavor - Traditional efo elegusi has a rich texture with satisfying mouthfeel and you'll taste savory, spicy, smoky, and even pungent flavors in this one.
My dad's side of the family is Yoruba and we love tomato-y Naija recipes like spicy jollof rice, Nigerian red stew, and the fusion fave: spaghetti jollof!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Ground Egusi is the star, non-negotiable ingredient for making efo elegusi at home. This is made from the seeds of the egusi melon and gives the soup its thick and fluffy texture. In the United States, you can either purchase it at an African market or order egusi online.
Tomatoes and Peppers are pureed then fried to add flavor and color to the stew. I recommend fresh plum or Roma tomatoes, scotch bonnet or habañero peppers, and bell pepper of any color.
Palm Oil is key and truly no substitute will hit quite the same. It adds earthy flavor and unmistakable color to the end result. Don't skip it.
Cooked Meats cut down the cooking time, which is very valuable as this efo elegusi recipe has several steps! You can use whatever you like--I used smoked turkey and smoked fish here.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Iru are fermented locust beans popular in Yoruba cooking but they have a strong pungent smell so some people don't like them but those that do, really do! If you're in the don't group, feel free to leave it out but if you're just unfamiliar with it, I recommend trying it.
Maggi Cube is available at many African, Asian, Caribbean, and mainstream grocers in the US and you can order Maggi cubes online, too. If you can't get it, you can use another brand of bouillon cube, powder or base.
Broth - You can use a complementary store bought or homemade broth or stock or make some easily using the meat for the stew. I have instructions for that below!
How to Prepare Efo Elegusi Step by Step
Step One: Add your cooked meat to a small saucepan with water and a bit of salt and bring to a boil then simmer to soften the meat and make an easy broth for use in the stew. (Photo 1)
Step Two: Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes, peppers, and part of the onion in a blender or food processor. (Photo 2)
Step Three: Add the palm oil, smoked fish, and iru to a large pot over medium flame and saute for a couple of minutes then pour in the tomato and pepper puree and season it. (Photos 3 and 4)
Pro Tip #1
Use a pot with at least four quart capacity for this dish. I use this large sauté pan.
Pro Tip #2
You can grind up the tomato pepper mixture up to three days ahead of time and store in the fridge!
Step Four: Bring the puree to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened and reduced. (Photos 5 and 6)
Step Five: Meanwhile, blend together the egusi, crayfish, and remaining onion into until a smooth paste forms. (Photo 7)
Step Six: Add the blended egusi mixture to the pot in big spoonfuls and let them cook for about 10 minutes before stirring. (Photo 8)
Step Seven: Stir the soup, making sure to scoop underneath the lumps of egusi so that they don't stick to the pan and burn, and continue cooking until the texture is very thick and chunky. (Photos 9 and 10)
Step Eight: Mix in the meat stock, taste, and add salt, if needed. (Photo 11)
Step Nine: All the soup to bubble and cook until most of the liquid has dissipated then remove from heat and stir in the spinach and cooked meat before serving. (Photo 12)
Pro Tip #3
Since we're using broth and bouillon (maggi) in this recipe, it's best to wait to add salt until after you've tasted it to avoid the stew ending up too salty.
Pro Tip #4
Make sure you make an eba roll to serve with your egusi stew!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can cook this soup up to three days ahead of time as long as you store it properly in the fridge.
Store efo elegusi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Transfer the soup to an airtight freezer-safe container to freeze. Keeps for up to three months.
More Favorite Nigerian Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy this Yoruba style egusi soup soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin my Nigerian efo egusi recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Efo Elegusi (Yoruba Style Egusi Soup)
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 Blender or food processor
- 1 large saucepan at least four quarts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds smoked turkey or cooked meat of your choosing
- 4 ½ cups water divided
- sea salt to taste
- 1-2 Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes
- 1 ½ onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- ½ cup palm oil
- 1 pound smoked catfish optional
- 1 teaspoon iru
- 1 maggi cube crushed into powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup ground egusi
- ¼ cup crayfish
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
Instructions
- Add the smoked turkey to a small saucepan with four cups water and a pinch of sea salt over medium flame. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to low and let the liquid simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove turkey and shred from bone. Reserve the resulting stock for later.2 pounds smoked turkey, 4 ½ cups water, sea salt
- Meanwhile, use a blender or food processor to puree the tomatoes, ½ onion, bell pepper, and scotch bonnet pepper with ½ cup of water.1-2 Roma tomatoes, 1 ½ onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 scotch bonnet pepper
- Add palm oil to large saucepan over medium flame and heat for about three minutes. (The palm oil should be about ½ and inch deep in the pan.)½ cup palm oil
- Add smoked fish and iru to heated oil and sauté for one or two minutes then stir in the vegetable puree, maggi cube, black pepper, and smoked paprika.1 pound smoked catfish, 1 teaspoon iru, 1 maggi cube, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cook until thickened and reduced (about 20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, grind together the remaining onion, ground egusi, and crayfish in blender or food processor until a thick paste forms.1 cup ground egusi, ¼ cup crayfish
- Add the egusi paste mixture to the saucepan in big spoonfuls and continue cooking for about 10 minutes.
- Stir the soup to combine everything, loosening the egusi from the bottom of the pan to prevent burning and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until very thick and dried.
- Mix in the turkey stock until uniform then taste test the soup and add salt, as needed. Continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off and the soup is thickened.
- Remove from heat then stir in the turkey pieces and spinach. Serve hot with swallow food or rice.2 cups fresh spinach
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