How to Cook Ogbono Soup with Egusi – A Recipe to Try

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!

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

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. Slice the vegetables thinly, grind the pepper and crayfish and place them aside.
4. 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. 
5. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. 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. 
8. 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: 

1. Eba
2. Fufu
3. Pounded yam
4. Amala
5. Semolina
6. Plantain flour (made into swallow) 
7. Mixed grain flour (made into swallow)
8. Boiled white rice
9. Pasta
10. 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)