Nigerian · soup

Egusi Soup

Name: Egusi Soup
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 1 cup ground egusi (melon seeds); 1/4 cup palm oil; 1.5 lbs assorted meats (beef, goat, tripe); 4 oz stockfish; 4 oz smoked fish; 2 tbsp crayfish (ground); 2 scotch bonnet peppers; 1 onion; 2 cups pumpkin leaves (ugwu); 2 seasoning cubes; salt to taste

Egusi Soup reads umami 7.0, richness 6.3 and smoke 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Nigerian soup, about 1 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 0.5 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 5.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.0 · Richness 6.3 · Smoke 5.2 · Salinity 4.1 · Marine & Briny 3.7 · Nutty 3.5 · Heat 2.9 · Allium 2.7 · Earthy 1.9 · Sweetness 1.9 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Bitterness 1.1 · Floral 0.6 · Sourness 0.5

What's in it (11)

1 cup ground egusi (melon seeds)
1/4 cup palm oil
1.5 lbs assorted meats (beef, goat, tripe)
4 oz stockfish
4 oz smoked fish
2 tbsp crayfish (ground)
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1 onion
2 cups pumpkin leaves (ugwu)
2 seasoning cubes
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 1 hr 5 min (45 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 145.8 kcal, 6.9 g protein, 11.2 g fat, 4.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Fry the ground egusi in palm oil, stirring continuously, until it forms toasted clumps and smells nutty.
Add the cooked meats, stock, ground crayfish, peppers, and onion and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in washed chopped greens in the last five minutes and adjust seasoning before serving.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Cassava Leaf Plasas — Sierra Leonean
Yam Porridge (Asaro) — Nigerian
Granat Sup (Groundnut Stew with Chicken) — Sierra Leonean
Kontomire Stew (Palava Sauce) — Ghanaian
New England Clam Chowder — American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, smoke mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.