Egusi Soup

Egusi na the soup wey dey turn mound of swallow to meal, and one of the most-cooked soup for southern Nigeria. Im character dey come from ground melon seed, wey dey thicken the soup and give am nutty richness, wey you cook down with palm oil, leafy green (ugu or bitterleaf), pepper and a mix of protein — assorted meat, stockfish, dried fish. The egusi itself cheap; the cost dey climb with the protein wey you load in.

Two school of method dey and dem dey produce different soup. For the "frying" method you go cook the seasoned egusi paste inside hot oil so e form rich lump; for the "boiling" or caking method you go drop am inside simmering stock and let am set. Either way, no rush the egusi — if e no cook well, e go taste raw and chalky. Add the leafy green near the end so dem keep their colour and bite.

On value, egusi na smart cook soup: one big pot wey you make with plenty egusi and small protein dey stretch across many meal, dey pair with the cheapest swallow (eba, fufu), and dey freeze without losing much. Scale the assorted meat and fish up for Sunday pot or down for lean week — the egusi base dey carry the flavour anyhow. E dey fill, e dey forgive, and na one of the best value-per-plate soup wey you fit cook.