Egusi and Okro soup

Egusi and Okro Soup is a discovery I made on recent exploration of Nigerian restaurant. My curiosity  on what people eat, took me recently  to one of those high class bukas  in Lagos run by a lady from the eastern part of Nigeria. As would be expected the menu list was loaded with different assortment of eastern  Nigerian soups ranging from  Egusi soup, Okoro soup, Edikangikong, ogbono, Onugbu and so on .

I had thought that people will stick to the menu but what came through was “madam mix the egusi with small okro or mix ogbono with okro.” This habit of ala carte soups like Egusi and Okro appears to be common place in restaurants or buka
So, I decided to try and cook from scratch one of the more popular combos, Egusi and Okro, the result, surprisingly interesting. I use few pieces of Okro and added it at the end of the cooking to retain the crunchiness and of course the nutritional goodness of the okra. The bitter leaves in this soup have been washed to retain its ‘bitterness’, so it helps to bring the taste of the soup together.
The rest  of the soup has been cooked the same way Egusi soup is prepared.

Recipe for Egusi and Okro soup

Ingredient

 

Whole Mackerel fish( cut into pieces)

4-6 pieces Shrimp
1 ball bitter leaves ( washed and chopped)
12 fingers Okro ( chopped in rings)
1 medium size Onion
4-5 pices Scoth Bonnet Pepper( coarsely ground)
1 cup of Egusi
1 table spoon Crayfish( ground)

Seasoning cube to taste
3 tablespoons Palm Oil

2 liters Water
Salt to taste

Method
1,Season  the fish with  1/2 onion, some of the ground pepper ,seasoning cube and  salt
2, Add water and steam on low heat till cooked. Add the prawns just before fish is cooked and steam. Set seafood aside
3, Pour previously washed and sun dried Egusi into a dry frying pan and fry till it starts to pop.
4,Allow Egusi to cool and blend. Blend 1/4 small onion and pepper and  pound or blend into the egusi till the egusi forms a dough
5, Heat the palm oil till it starts to smoke. Add remaining chopped  onion and pepper and fry for 1 minute
6, Add water, crayfish and boil. Taste to correct the seasoning
7,Drop Egusi  balls into the boiling stock and cover the pot to cook. The egusi will finally separate into fine  curdles after 10 minutes
8, Return the sea foods into the soup and cook for 2 minutes
9, Add the bitter leaf  and chopped Okro and a cook for another 3 minutes.
10, Serve your Egusi and Okro soup with  garri or pounded yam