How to Make Egusi Soup

Female: I know we’re going to make an amazing meal today. We’ve got a bunch of dishes that we’re going to have. And I’m interested now to hear about what we’re going to make with the first one you say it’s Amala and Egusi soup.

Florence Troutman: Amala and Egusi soup.

Female: Egusi soup is a staple on any Nigerisan menu. And in many homes it’s made everyday. And here are all the ingredients.

Florence Troutman: This is the melon, the melon seed that is used in the Egusi soup. And here, you have it already prepared for—I was to put in the soup. We have the onion, we have Egusi well mashed up with the onion for us to use in the soup.

Female: So you sauté this power with the onions?

Florence Troutman: Exactly and here we have the meat, the beef.

Female: So that’s just your traditional beef you can get it any store—

Florence Troutman: Yes, even if you don’t want use beef you can use chicken, you can use—whatever goat meat, lamb.

Female: Whatever you want—

Florence Troutman: And here we have leipomo. This is the cow skin.

Female: What is it called?

Florence Troutman: It is cow skin, it’s called cow skin, we like—it’s like leather. We like to eat it. It’s delicious. You want to taste it.

Female: Some ingredients are familiar others are quite exotic. Cow skin, I’m a little nervous but I’m curious. Oh my God, I’ve never seen this before.

Florence Troutman: Don’t you worry.

Female: Oh my gosh.

Florence Troutman: Just a little. Interesting right? And here’s the dry fish. The dry fish is also—you want to try this?

Female: Sure.

Florence Troutman: The dry fish is also — just for the taste—

Female: Very stinking. The essence—

Florence Troutman: The essence yes. Here is a stock fish so—

Female: And this looks just like basic spinach—

Florencde Troutman: these are basic spinach—

Female: And this is what you use in Nigeria? You just use—

Florencde Troutman: We use different types of vegetable but this is what we have here so we’re going to use spinach, on here is onion and then hot pepper so let’s go with the pepper first.

Female: How much are putting in there?

Florencde Troutman: Do you like pepper?

Female: I do, I love pepper, and I love spice—

Florencde Troutman: You like spice?

Female: Yes.

Florencde Troutman: Okay, let’s go.

Female: And now you just put in the onion—

Florencde Troutman: So here is the onion.

Female: We let it simmer for about five minutes and then we started working on the egusi.

Florencde Troutman: so what you do is you roll it up like this—

Female: In one hand—

Florencde Troutman: If you want, you want to do two hands to make it more exciting it’s all fun we’re like a little baby.

Female: I like a total ball.

Florencde Troutman: Isn’t that nice?

Female: Very nice. So did they stay in their shape in the soup?

Florencde Troutman: Yes, it is.

Female: They don’t break up.

Florencde Troutman: They don’t break up. Let’s say for example you know why this is so good, why I like this? Even if you’re from a poor family you really don’t have meat to eat, there’s no meat but the time you put this in the soup and it’s chunky and it’s like meat—

Female: Yes.

Florencde Troutman: So you don’t be really missing anything.

Female: It’s very filling. Now, would you eat this for lunch or for dinner? Is this something that you would serve everyday or just special occasion?

Florencde Troutman: Everyday. I know of somebody who eats – everyday. They give it to him in the morning, in the afternoon, in the night it’s everyday.

Female: Okay, so now we’re going to add egusi. Let’s drop them.

Florencde Troutman: So now we have this in here and we don’t want to touch you don’t want to spoil melon balls. So now, let’s have the stock fish in there.

Female: So here’s the stock fish. So this is that big long stinky fish that’s dry and this is the thing you said it makes your whole house smell.

Florencde Troutman: Are you telling me these things the whole place –but guess what? This is all good. This meal in Africa, what some people do is in the morning they eat every food so when they go to work then they stay all day without eating because now they’re filled up with this main meal and it’s like okay until evening before they remember to eat.

Female: So you usually eat a very strong, big hardy breakfast?

Florencde Troutman: Exactly, yes—

Female: And you’re not again sometimes until dinner?

Florencde Troutman: Yes. Now, we’re going to cover this for like five minutes and then we put oil in it.

Female: What kind of oil do you use?

Florencde Troutman: Palm oil—

Female: Is it—that’s red?

Florencde Troutman: Yes, red. You see this?

Female: Oh, that looks so beautiful. It’s so rich.

Florencde Troutman: Yes.

Female: The palm oil gets great texture and color to the soup. And now, we add the last few ingredients to finish off our egusi soup. Oh that’s such a pretty color now. Can I try?

Florencde Troutman: Oh please.

Female: So you just put a little a little bit. I’ve got big skin. That is so good. That has so many flavors.