If you have ever imagined eating two beloved Nigerian soups in one meal, you’ll love the Ogbono soup with Egusi combination.
Explorative Nigerians who have tried the Ogbono soup and Egusi combo will agree that it is one you never really expect to slap, but it does.
The Ogbono and Egusi combo is delicious and has a thick slimy texture that pairs perfectly with any swallow of choice.
The best part of this combo soup is that it is straightforward to cook. We will teach you how to use Ogbono soup and Egusi combo recipes.
How to Cook Ogbono Soup with Egusi – Recipes you’ll love
The best part of most meals is eating them, and the second-best part is preparing them. We believe Ogbono soup and Egusi combo is one such food.
We’ve outlined two recipes below to help you easily cook Ogbono soup and Egusi. But, of course, you can also tweak the recipes to suit your preference, like the choice of protein, etc.
Time to dust your cooking apron and chef’s hat!
How to Cook Ogbono Soup with Egusi
Course: MainCuisine: African CuisineDifficulty: Medium5
servings30
minutes40
minutes370
kcalThis recipe helps you easily cook Ogbono soup and Egusi. But, of course, you can also tweak the recipes to suit your preference, like the choice of protein, etc.
Ingredients
¾ cup of Ogbono (preferably grounded). If not, grind the seeds in a grinder
1 cup of chopped bitter leaves, pumpkin leaves (Ugwu), or spinach
½ cup of crayfish (blended)
2 pounds of meat or fish(boiled)
Smoked fish and stock fish
2 hot peppers (blended)
2 beef-flavored seasoning cubes
1 crayfish-flavored seasoning cube
Salt
1 cup of palm oil
2 cups of Egusi seeds
Directions
- If your vegetables are dried, soak them in water until they are hydrated enough.
- Separate your boiled meat or fish from the stock and divide the stock into two. Add half of the stock to a pot and cover the other half in an airtight bowl.
- Blend the Egusi seeds in a grinder until they form grainy particles.
- Place the pot of meat or fish stock over medium heat and leave to boil.
- Add ¼ a cup of water to the ground Egusi and mix it into a thick paste.
- Scoop the Egusi pastes into the boiling stock and leave to cook for 5 minutes while you begin prepping your Ogbono.
- To your ground Ogbono, add the other half of the meat or fish stock and mix it into a paste. Pour the Ogbono paste into the boiling Egusi and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes. Follow with the crayfish, seasoning cubes, and pepper.
- Add water if the soup is too thick, and taste it for too much salt. Add the palm oil and let it cook in the soup for about 30 seconds, then follow with your meat and fish. Leave to cook for two minutes. Add your vegetables and simmer on low heat for about 1 minute.
- Voila! Your Ogbono soup and Egusi combo is ready to be served with any swallow of choice.
Recipe Video
Recipe 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: Between 3 and 4
Ingredients
- 1 handful of Ogbono seeds or 2 handfuls of Ogbono powder
- 3 cooking spoons of palm oil
- Spinach, Ugwu (a.k.a pumpkin leaf), or Onugbu (a.k.a bitter leaf)
- 1 cup of ground Egusi seeds
- ½ cup of crayfish
- 1 medium-sized onion
- Chili or scotch bonnet pepper (blended)
- Assorted Meat and Fish: beef, cow foot, Shaki (a.k.a tripe), Ponmo (a.k.a cow skin), dry fish, and stock fish
- 2 seasoning cubes
- Salt
Preparation
- If you are using Ogbono and Egusi seeds, grind them thoroughly using a dry mill or blender. Then, transfer each to separate bowls and add some lukewarm water. Mix well to form a paste.
- Wash, season, and cook the meat, dry fish, and stock fish. Add onions, stock cubes, and salt to bring out the taste. Cook the meat until soft.
- Slice the vegetables thinly, grind the pepper and crayfish and place them aside.
- Heat a cooking spoonful of palm oil in a small pot until it heats up. Fry the Egusi paste in the heated oil and stir until it thickens. Keep frying the Egusi for about 15 minutes or when the oil sits above the Egusi. Turn off the heat and set the Egusi aside.
- Heat the leftover palm oil until it is hot. Lower the heat and add the ground Ogbono, stirring constantly. Pour in some water or meat stock, and allow it to boil for about a minute.
- Add the Egusi from step 4 to the pot and mix well. Pour in some of the meat stock or water if it is too thick and allow it to cook for 10 minutes. Stir the soup consistently to prevent it from burning.
- Add the dry fish, stock fish, meat, crayfish, stock cube, pepper, and salt. Combine well and simmer for about 10 minutes with the pot covered. Keep stirring to avoid burning.
- Throw in the vegetables. Simmer for 3 minutes before removing the soup from the heat. Stir and serve hot with any swallow of choice.
10 Foods You Can Eat with Ogbono and Egusi
Ogbono and Egusi are great but even better when paired with the right side dishes.
Here are 10 foods you can eat with Egusi and Ogbono:
- Eba
- Fufu
- Pounded yam
- Amala
- Semolina
- Plantain flour (made into swallow)
- Mixed grain flour (made into swallow)
- Boiled white rice
- Pasta
- Wheat flour (made into swallow)
Here are two other great african recipes to try
- 7 Best Banga Soup Recipes
- How to Cook Pancakes in A Frying Pan and Oven
- How to Make Puff puff with Milk
- Banga Stew Recipes (Ofe Akwu)

Here you will find recipes for dishes that are both familiar and exotic, all designed to tantalize your taste buds and inspire your inner chef. So whether you’re an experienced cook or just starting out, we hope you will find something to excite your palate.