How to make Egusi Stew/Soup

Egusi is simply ground melon seeds. It's an off-white color and is normally cooked in soup or stew. This is the one soup/stew dish that I make on a regular. There are other ways to cook this dish, but when I'm feeling lazy or pressed for time, I just do it all in one pot...some other time, I'll revisit this and cook it a different way.

To make this one-pot egusi soup/stew, you'll need the following:

Goat meat...about 20 pieces (or meat of your choice)
1 cup ground egusi/melon seed
1 pack frozen chopped spinach leaves
1 cup shawa (dried fish) (soak in hot water for 15mins then remove bones)
1/2 cup palm oil
1/4 cup Goya Adobo seasoning
2 Knorr cubes
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1 garlic clove (chopped)
Ginger (same size as garlic clove...chopped)
2 Bay leaves
1/4 cup curry powder
1/4 cup ground red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry/ ground red pepper
1/4 red onion (sliced)

Set stove to medium heat
Rinse meat and put in a medium/ large pot
Add all the seasonings, except egusi, spinach, shawa (dried fish) and palm oil
Pour enough water in pot so that it covers all the meat
Boil on medium heat for at least 1.5 - 2 hours
Pierce meat with a knife to check for softness
If the knife goes through with little pressure, follow the next step or let boil longer
Add palm oil to boiling meat
Let boil for 5-10 mins
Reduce heat to low
Add ground egusi and stir thoroughly
Add shawa
Let boil for at least 20 mins
(it should thicken somewhat because of the egusi)
Stir and add chopped spinach
Let cook for 5 mins and turn off heat
Let sit for 5 mins before serving...

This is normally eaten with amala/ elubo (yam flour), iyan (pounded yam) or eba (ground cassava/garri). You could eat it with rice also if you preferred. This was made with amala, as seen below:

Click pics to enlarge....Enjoy...