Egusi soup without oil (melon soup without oil) is the recipe I’m sharing today, I’ve posted Egusi Soup Recipe

Egusi Ijebu Soup (Melon Soup Without Vegetable) before but I actually made this and thought of sharing it. When I was younger my mom made Egusi and after she served me she asked if I could tell what was missing, I was confused and started looking at my plate and saw nothing “missing” but she kept asking and laughing I told her the soup was good (and it was actually good if she didn’t ask I wouldn’t know) and she said could you believe I forgot to add palm oil to the soup? and she continued laughing.

The fact was I didn’t even notice and you can’t tell from the taste. I told her I didn’t notice the absence of the palm oil because it was as good as if she added palm oil.

So, if you’re watching your oil intake it is possible to eat your favorite egusi soup and still enjoy it. Trust me you won’t notice the difference either by looking at it or tasting. Use any proteins of your choice and use the habanero pepper(rodo) as little/much as you want.

Let’s get started.

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Egusi Soup Without Oil (Melon Soup without oil)

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Egusi (melon)
• 2 Red bell peppers
• 3 Habanero/Rodo (adjust to your tolerance)
• 1.5 Onion (divided)
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Crayfish
• Stock Fish (or any protein)
• 1 Cup Dried Shrimps/ prawn (or fresh)
• 4 Cups Water (or mixture of broth and water)
• 1 Tablespoon Iru (Locust beans)
• Spinach (or your choice)
• Seasoning powder/cube
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Light roast the melon seed then blend to powder and pour in a small bowl.
2. If you’re using dried shrimps/prawn and dried or stock fish soak in hot water with salt for a few minutes to get rid of any dirt, remove and set aside.
3. Place a saucepan on a medium-high heat and bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil.
4. Deseed the red bell peppers, and habanero. Rinse and blend with one onion to a smooth paste.
5. Slice or dice the remaining onion and to the blended melon (egusi), add crayfish (use as much as you want but make sure you don’t go overboard because it can overpower the soup taste) and combine with a ¼ cup of water to a thick paste.
6. Form balls like a golf ball and gently add to the boiling water, you can form the balls before adding them or just form a ball and add to the boiling water and allow to boil for about 5 minutes.
   
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8. Add the blended peppers mixture add seasoning cube/powder and salt. Cover and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until the liquid reduces and the melon is cooked. You will notice the color has changed.
   

9. Add the Iru (locust beans), dried shrimps/prawns, and stockfish or any protein of your choice. Cover and continue to cook to allow the fish to absorb the liquid if the soup is getting thicker for you add the remaining water/broth.

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12. Add vegetable and mix, check the seasoning readjust if necessary, and turn of the heat, leave on the residual heat.
    
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14. Serve and enjoy with your favorite side.
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16. Egusi soup without oil with yam flour (amala)
    
    

Recipe Notes

If you're using stockfish make sure you soak it in hot water and salt overnight and if possible cook the soup a day before you actually want to eat it, that way it would be softer if not you won't enjoy the stockfish.

Also, if you're using stockfish you need some liquid in the soup because the fish would absorb the liquid very quickly.

You might want to try Kale Efo Riro (Nigerian Kale Soup)