Egusi Soup

• 2 cups egusi (not ground)
• 3/4 cup palm oil
• 1/4 cup crayfish
• 1 shrimp seasoning cube also known as Maggi Crayfish or Maggi Crevette
• 2 pounds meats and fish I used a variety of goat meat, stock fish and chicken
• 1/2 cup onion - chopped
• 1 habanero (or scotch bonnet) pepper
• 1/2 -1 cup chopped greens (you could use bitterleaf for an authentic taste or substitute with spinach or kale) I used chopped spinach

METHOD:

1. Boil the meats and fish. Preferably do this the day before so that cooking is easier the next day. Start by boiling the tougher meats then add the less tough ones. Add salt halfway through the cooking process (about a teaspoon of salt). Reserve the stock of the meat. Also, if using stockfish, be sure to soak it for some hours first and rinse thoroughly before cooking (cook it separately from the other meats/fish and discard of the stock). Stockfish has a very pungent smell so if you aren't used to it you might be shocked at how much it smells. But the taste is amazing in Egusi Soup!
2. Grind the egusi. Grind the egusi using the small cup of a blender, coffee grinder or whatever grinding machine you have on hand. Be sure to remove any bad seeds from the egusi before grinding.

Making the egusi soup.

1. Place palm oil in a pot and heat up on high for about 3 minutes (do not bleach). Add the onions to the palm oil and saute until fragrant.
2. Add the ground egusi to the palm oil and let it cook in it, while you stir from time to time until the egusi shrinks and starts sticking to the bottom of the pot. About 7 minutes.
3. Add a teaspoon of crayfish and stir then add the cooked meats and their stock. Add the remaining crayfish, crayfish seasoning cube, habanero or scotch bonnet pepper then add water if needed according to desired thickness. Stir well and taste to ensure that seasoning is perfect. Let all the ingredients simmer together for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the greens and let them cook in for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat - your egusi soup is ready!

NOTES:

• Options of meats to use include beef, goat meat, smoked/dried fish. I often just use a blend of what I have on hand or what I can easily find.

• Most of the ingredients in this recipe can be found in African stores (for those who do not live in Africa).