Egusi Soup with Silky Pounded Yam

⏱ 90 min · Serves 4

A rich, nutty melon-seed stew simmered with palm oil, smoky beef and spinach, served with pillowy pounded yam for scooping. This is Nigerian comfort cooking at its most generous — thick, deeply savoury and built for sharing.

Per serving: 1010 kcal · 54.0g protein · 82.0g carbs · 56.0g fat

Ingredients

• 250g egusi (ground melon seeds)
• 500g beef chuck, cut into chunks
• 4 pieces smoked mackerel or dried fish, flaked (optional)
• 1 large onion, halved (one half chopped, one half blended)
• 3 red bell peppers, deseeded
• 2 scotch bonnets (or 1 for less heat)
• 150ml red palm oil
• 2 stock cubes
• 1 tbsp ground crayfish (optional)
• 250g fresh spinach or chopped frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 800ml beef stock or water
• 800g white yam (puna yam), peeled and cut into chunks
• Water for boiling yam

Method

1. Season the beef with a stock cube, the chopped onion and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 300ml water, cover and simmer 35-40 minutes until tender. Keep the broth.
2. Blend the bell peppers, scotch bonnets and remaining onion half to a coarse purée.
3. Blend the egusi with about 150ml water to a thick, spreadable paste and set aside.
4. Heat the palm oil in a wide pot over medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the pepper purée. Fry 10-12 minutes until it darkens and the oil separates.
5. Drop the egusi paste in by the spoonful to form small lumps. Do not stir for 5 minutes, then fry gently 10 minutes, breaking the lumps slightly, until the oil rises and the paste smells toasty.
6. Add the beef, its broth, the remaining stock, crayfish and second stock cube. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, adjusting with stock until thick but scoopable.
7. Stir in the flaked smoked fish and spinach. Simmer 5 more minutes and season with salt.
8. Meanwhile, boil the yam in salted water 20-25 minutes until a knife slides through easily. Drain, reserving a little cooking water.
9. Pound the hot yam in a mortar (or blitz in a food processor) with splashes of the cooking water until completely smooth and stretchy. Shape into 4 smooth mounds with wet hands.
10. Serve the egusi hot alongside the pounded yam — pinch, dip, scoop.