Party egusi soup is a West African melon seed stew featuring cooked egusi lumps, tender meat and offal, and a fragrant palm oil base built on fried crayfish, iru, and peppers. Its distinctive texture comes from cooking ball-sized egusi chunks that stay intact or break down based on preference.
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Season the meat with onion, beef seasoning cubes and bring to a boil.
In a separate pot, boil shaki and kpomo with the same seasonings until tender..
In a pot, heat up your oil and fry some Iru, crayfish and onions for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
Next, add your pepper mix, salt and bouillon cube and allow to fry for another 10-12 minutes until the color deepens slightly and it becomes thicker.
Add the remaining meat stock and allow to boil with the base. You can add water if the meat stock is too little.
Add mini ball sized egusi chunks into the mix, cover the pot and cook on low heat for 15–20 minutes. Avoid stirring too much if you like your egusi lumpy. Add water as needed to prevent the mixture from drying out.
Add your deboned smoked fish, cooked goat meat, beef, kpomo and shaki and mix until well combined.
Stir gently to combine, preserving the big lumps of egusi or breaking them up if you like it less lumpy
Test and adjust seasoning with salt, bouillon cubes, or dried pepper if needed.
Add in your vegetable(s) of choice and mix well. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve with your favorite side and enjoy.
Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat gently over low heat, adding water if thickened, and stir in fresh greens after reheating.
Avoid stirring too much during the 15–20 minute cook time on low heat. Stir gently only when combining other ingredients afterward.
Yes. Prepare the soup up to step 9 (before adding greens), store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheat gently and add fresh vegetables just before serving.
Add water gradually as needed during the 15–20 minute egusi cook time and after adding meat to maintain your preferred consistency.
Uziza leaves, ugwu, and spinach are traditional choices. Add them in step 10 and simmer for about 5 minutes so they retain texture.
Yes. Beef works equally well; follow the same seasoning and boiling process in step 1. Adjust cooking time if using tougher cuts.
