Efo Elegusi (Yoruba Style Egusi Soup)
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 769kcal
Fragrant and richly textured Nigerian melon seed soup made with smoky meat and fresh spinach
Print Recipe
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
Notes
Preparation
You can grind up the tomato pepper mixture up to three days ahead of time and store in the fridge.
You can cook the whole soup recipe up to three days ahead of time as long as you store it properly in the fridge.
Troubleshooting
Since we're using broth and maggi cube 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.
Storage
Store efo elegusi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To freeze, transfer the soup to an airtight freezer-safe container to freeze. Keeps for up to three months.
Nutrition
Calories: 769kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 1322mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2149IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 7mg