Eba & Egusi Soup
The classic Lagos swallow meal. Eba (cassava flakes mixed with hot water) paired with egusi soup. The most affordable complete meal in Lagos — garri is the cheapest staple.
Quantities scale with serving size. Live prices update with the latest Mile 12 wholesale data.
Eba & Egusi Soup
| Ingredient | Qty | Unit price | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garri (white) | 1 kg | ₦375/kg | ₦375 | 📊 Live |
| Egusi (melon seeds) | 400 g | ₦6,000/kg | ₦2,400 | Est. |
| Palm oil | 300 ml | ₦1,800/litres | ₦540 | Est. |
| Vegetables (ugu/spinach) | 500 g | ₦1,600/kg | ₦800 | Est. |
| Assorted meat | 500 g | ₦8,000/kg | ₦4,000 | Est. |
| Crayfish | 100 g | ₦8,000/kg | ₦800 | Est. |
| Seasoning | 4 pieces | ₦50/pieces | ₦200 | Est. |
| Pepper | 150 g | ₦2,013/kg | ₦302 | Est. |
| Onions | 150 g | ₦1,000/kg | ₦150 | 📊 Live |
Compare with other meals
Monthly food budget estimate
If you cook this dish 3× per week for 5 people:
📝 Cook's notes
Eba and egusi is the pairing that feeds the most people for the least money in southern Nigeria — the everyday swallow-and-soup that keeps households full through the month. Eba is simply garri (cassava flakes) stirred into hot water until it forms a smooth, stretchy mound; it takes minutes, needs no cooking skill, and is about as cheap as a starch gets. The egusi soup beside it carries all the flavour and most of the cost.
The eba itself is all about texture and ratio. Add the garri gradually to just-boiled water and turn it firmly with a wooden turner until it is smooth and pliable but not sticky — too much water gives a soft, weak eba, too little a hard one. Ijebu garri gives a slightly sour, prized eba; yellow garri (fried with palm oil) gives colour and a fuller taste. It is served in small hand-rolled balls, dipped into the soup rather than chewed.
On value this combination is unbeatable: the eba is a few naira per serving, so you can put your money into a good pot of egusi and let it stretch across several meals. It is filling in a way rice rarely is, cooks in the time it takes to reheat the soup, and is the reason a modest kitchen budget still ends in a satisfying plate. Cheap, fast, and genuinely beloved.