Egusi Soup
Thick melon seed soup with leafy vegetables, meat, and fish. One of Nigeria's most beloved soups, typically eaten with pounded yam, eba (garri), or fufu.
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Egusi Soup
| Ingredient | Qty | Unit price | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egusi (melon seeds) | 400 g | ₦6,000/kg | ₦2,400 | Est. |
| Palm oil | 300 ml | ₦1,800/litres | ₦540 | Est. |
| Spinach/ugu (pumpkin leaf) | 500 g | ₦1,600/kg | ₦800 | Est. |
| Pepper (scotch bonnet) | 200 g | ₦2,010/kg | ₦402 | Est. |
| Onions | 200 g | ₦1,000/kg | ₦200 | 📊 Live |
| Crayfish (ground) | 100 g | ₦8,000/kg | ₦800 | Est. |
| Stockfish | 200 g | ₦15,000/kg | ₦3,000 | Est. |
| Assorted meat (beef, tripe, cowleg) | 500 g | ₦8,000/kg | ₦4,000 | Est. |
| Seasoning cubes | 4 pieces | ₦50/pieces | ₦200 | Est. |
| Salt | 1 tablespoons | ₦50/tablespoons | ₦50 | Est. |
| Locust beans (iru) | 2 tablespoons | ₦100/tablespoons | ₦200 | Est. |
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Monthly food budget estimate
If you cook this dish 3× per week for 5 people:
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📝 Cook's notes
Egusi is the soup that turns a mound of swallow into a meal, and one of the most-cooked soups in southern Nigeria. Its character comes from ground melon seeds, which thicken the soup and give it a nutty richness, cooked down with palm oil, leafy greens (ugu or bitterleaf), pepper and a mix of proteins — assorted meat, stockfish, dried fish. The egusi itself is cheap; the cost climbs with the protein you load in.
There are two schools of method and they produce different soups. In the "frying" method you cook the seasoned egusi paste in hot oil so it forms rich lumps; in the "boiling" or caking method you drop it into simmering stock and let it set. Either way, do not rush the egusi — undercooked, it tastes raw and chalky. Add the leafy greens near the end so they keep their colour and bite.
On value, egusi is a smart cook's soup: a big pot made with plenty of egusi and modest protein stretches across many meals, pairs with the cheapest swallows (eba, fufu), and freezes without losing much. Scale the assorted meat and fish up for a Sunday pot or down for a lean week — the egusi base carries the flavour either way. It is filling, forgiving, and among the best value-per-plate soups you can cook.