sierra-leoneansoup✨ New

Egusi Soup

Name: Egusi Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: sierra-leonean
Ingredients: 1.5 cups egusi (ground melon seeds); 600 g chicken pieces; 0.5 cup red palm oil; 3 medium tomatoes, blended; 1 large onion, blended; 2 scotch bonnet peppers, blended; 200 g spinach or bitter leaf, washed and shredded; 2 tbsp ground crayfish; 1 piece smoked fish, deboned and flaked; 2 bouillon cubes; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup water or stock

A rich, earthy West African soup made from ground melon seeds cooked with palm oil, leafy greens, and chicken — bold, satisfying, and deeply nourishing.

Prep

20 min

Cook

50 min

Servings

Difficulty

Medium

★★★★★

4.7(890 ratings)

#egusi#melon seeds#palm oil#west african#gluten-free#sierra-leonean

Share:Pinterest X WhatsApp Facebook

About This Recipe

Egusi soup is one of the most eaten soups across West and Central Africa, beloved in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and beyond. Made from the ground seeds of certain melon varieties (Citrullus lanatus), egusi creates a distinctive thick, crumbly sauce with a rich, nutty, slightly bitter flavour that is complemented by palm oil, smoked fish, crayfish, and leafy greens. In Sierra Leone, egusi is cooked with bitter leaf, spinach, or okra, and served as a main dish with rice or fufu. It is particularly popular at large family gatherings and is considered one of the most nutritionally complete traditional dishes.

Ingredients

Serves 5

1.5 cupsegusi (ground melon seeds)
600 gchicken pieces
0.5 cupred palm oil
3 mediumtomatoes, blended
1 largeonion, blended
2scotch bonnet peppers, blended
200 gspinach or bitter leaf, washed and shredded
2 tbspground crayfish
1 piecesmoked fish, deboned and flaked
2bouillon cubes
1 tspsalt
1 cupwater or stock

Instructions

1
Cook chicken
Season chicken with salt and bouillon. Boil in a small amount of water for 15 minutes until semi-cooked. Reserve the broth.
2
Fry tomato base
Heat palm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add blended tomatoes, onion, and scotch bonnet. Fry for 15–20 minutes until very thick and the oil floats.
3
Add egusi
Mix ground egusi with a little water to form a thick paste. Add spoonfuls into the tomato base and stir. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the egusi is lightly fried and fragrant.
4
Add chicken and stock
Add chicken pieces, reserved broth, and additional water or stock. Add smoked fish and ground crayfish. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
5
Add greens
Stir in shredded spinach or bitter leaf. Adjust salt. Simmer for 5 more minutes until greens are wilted and soup is richly thick.
6
Serve
Serve hot with white rice, pounded yam, or fufu.

Pro Tips

→
Palm oil is essential — do not substitute with other oils as the flavour will be completely different.
→
Frying the egusi paste properly in step 3 removes the raw, bitter taste — don't skip this step.
→
Ground crayfish is available in African grocery stores and is worth seeking out for authentic flavour.

Variations

•
Add okra (sliced) instead of spinach for a different texture and slight viscosity.
•
Use goat or beef instead of chicken for a deeper flavour.
•
Add stockfish soaked overnight for extra protein and umami.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freezes well for 2 months. Reheat gently with a splash of water.

History & Origin

Egusi has been cultivated and used in cooking across West and Central Africa for thousands of years. The seeds are cold-pressed for oil or dried and ground for cooking. In Sierra Leone, the soup is associated with celebration, home-cooking, and maternal care — many Sierra Leoneans report that egusi soup is the dish that most reminds them of their mothers and grandmothers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does egusi taste like?

Ground egusi has a mild, nutty, slightly earthy flavour. When cooked in palm oil and tomatoes, it develops a rich, savoury depth.

Where can I buy egusi?

African grocery stores and some online retailers stock dried egusi seeds. They are sometimes labelled as 'agusi', 'agushi', or 'melon seeds'.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 5 servings total

Calories510kcal

Protein32g

Carbohydrates14g

Fat36g

Fiber5g

Protein32g

Carbs14g

Fat36g

Time Summary

Prep time20 min

Cook time50 min

Total time70 min

Have Questions?

Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.

Chat with AI Chef →

More Sierra-leonean Recipes

🥜

Groundnut Soup

80 min · Medium

🍛

Sierra Leonean Jollof Rice

75 min · Medium

🌿

Cassava Leaf Stew

120 min · Hard

🟡

Akara (Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)

45 min · Medium

Community

Join the conversation

About This Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 5

1.5 cupsegusi (ground melon seeds)

600 gchicken pieces

0.5 cupred palm oil

3 mediumtomatoes, blended

1 largeonion, blended

2scotch bonnet peppers, blended

200 gspinach or bitter leaf, washed and shredded

2 tbspground crayfish

1 piecesmoked fish, deboned and flaked

2bouillon cubes

1 tspsalt

1 cupwater or stock

Instructions

Cook chicken

Season chicken with salt and bouillon. Boil in a small amount of water for 15 minutes until semi-cooked. Reserve the broth.

Fry tomato base

Heat palm oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add blended tomatoes, onion, and scotch bonnet. Fry for 15–20 minutes until very thick and the oil floats.

Add egusi

Mix ground egusi with a little water to form a thick paste. Add spoonfuls into the tomato base and stir. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the egusi is lightly fried and fragrant.

Add chicken and stock

Add chicken pieces, reserved broth, and additional water or stock. Add smoked fish and ground crayfish. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add greens

Stir in shredded spinach or bitter leaf. Adjust salt. Simmer for 5 more minutes until greens are wilted and soup is richly thick.

Serve

Serve hot with white rice, pounded yam, or fufu.