Egusi Pepper Soup: I hail o my Delta people, today’s recipe is egusi pepper soup. Yes, the same egusi (ground melon seed) we use in making delicious efo elegusi, lumpy egusi and egusi ijebu. When I started this blog some months back, one of my besties from Delta State gave me some recipes of the dishes cooked from her side. I was able to make banga soup a while ago and it was a hit at home. Recently we were talking again some few days back and we talked about egusi pepper soup. I promised her I was going to make it, give her feedback and put it on the blog so my beautiful readers can also try something new if they haven’t had this soup before.
Egusi pepper soup is quite easy to make, as easy as making pepper soup but with the addition of egusi (ground melon seed) takes it from being a side dish to the main meal. You can choose any protein of choice for the soup. It is a healthy dish too as there is no oil ‘serenre’ which makes it good for any fitfam.
Ingredients
6-10 pieces of goat meat
Assorted meat (I used shaki and ponmo)
Ground crayfish
Salt
2tbsp pepper soup spice
Seasoning cubes
Cayenne pepper, use according to tolerance
3-4 pieces of catfish, optional
Stockfish (optional)
Scent leaves or basil (optional)
1-1.5 cups of egusi (you can use whole melon or ground melon)
How to make egusi pepper soup
Notes: I used ground melon to make this dish but you can use whole melon and it can also be roasted before blending if you want.
Blend the egusi with water and set aside
If you are using catfish, wash with lemon/lime juice to get rid of sliminess.
Wash and rinse the beef, add to pan and place on medium heat, to the meat add cayenne pepper, salt and seasoning and bring to boil for about 10 minutes.
Open the pot and give it a good stir, at this point, add 11/2 tablespoon of the pepper soup spice to the beef. Also if you are using stockfish, add it to the beef and continue to bring to boil till tender
Check the water level, you don’t need too much water to cook the beef cos you can add more as you cook, for this soup you need to achieve a light soup with a bit of texture. The soup should be in-between light and thick (egusi ijebu consistency)
Once the beef and fish are cooked, add blended egusi and stir it to avoid getting lumps. Cook for another 5-8 minutes (stir at intervals and add water if it is getting thick)
Add salt, seasoning, crayfish and the remaining pepper soup spice and stir to combine
Add fresh fish if using, turn down the heat and cook for another 10-15 minutes. (Be careful not to break the fish while stirring the soup)
5 minutes before you take the soup off the heat, add chopped scent leaves to the soup
Take it off the heat and serve with plantain and eba swallow or boiled plantain.
Egusi pepper soup (Ghana pepper soup) 
Eghwobobo, ripe plantain and garri swallow. Excuse the plating
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But i thought they do use okro cuz my neighbours do use it and i didnt see any okro while u were preparing urs. Is okro optional?
Yes Patricia, okra is optional
Yes. Okra is optional. Some people enjoy their's with okra.
This soup is da bomb and the fact that u used Eghwobobo as d swallow is just classic.. But just for the record (as a girl with an Itsekiri mum and urhobo dad) I would like to correct something.. When its EBA and ripe plantain its called Eghwoeba then when it's "STARCH" and ripe plantain that's when its called Eghwobobo; I know this coz its d Itsekri native swallow (just like when u hear amala u know its from the Yorubas). Take this from an Itseke gurl winks. I really looooovvvveeee your blog. I also want to say I love the pictures that come along with the recipes and I would like to suggest that for every picture, there should be a caption, e.g that picture of the egusi being added could be captioned " blended egusi added to stock" or something nicer lol... And that will make your blog even more detailed coz frankly, I've never seen a food blog as detailed as yours.. Tnx a lot for hearing someone (me lol) out.
P.S - Forgive my epistle.. I guess we are both alike in that aspect.
Lol @ forgive my epistle.. you write well my lady and thanks for taking out time to comment. Hope you have subscribed to the blog? Please do if you have not and do stop by again soon.
Oyinbo here lol I made egusi pepper soup I think put too much egus . Anyways love ur website!
Aww bless that was a good try, add more water to your egusi pepper soup the next you try it and remember to check for salt and seasoning. Thanks for stopping by
The first time I saw this soup I didn't want to eat it. My friend just said I should give it a try and I obliged him. It made too much sense when it hit my taste bud and I didn't know when I finished the pounded yam. Gosh!!!! This soup is so on point.
Am so..................happy u finally made this soup thanks babe, and pls check my blog for more recipes ta.
Hope I did it justice? thanks dear and lol @check my blog.
Yummish!!! am so trying this recipe soon, but please you didn't mention palm oil, but the soup looks like you used palm oil. I need to know. Thanks.
Hi Doris, thanks for stopping by. there's no palm oil in the soup, I blendend my egusi with cayenne pepper hence the colour. the melon will naturally produce its own oil.
looks really yummy!
Thanks.x