Egusi Soup with Spinach and Smoked Turkey
The Soup Pot and the Swallow
Egusi is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the Nigerian soup pot. For the diaspora kid, the scent of unrefined red palm oil and fermented locust bean hitting a hot pan means you're home, and a serious meal is imminent. Traditionally, it's an all-day commitment of boiling tough stockfish. We bypass that with a brilliant first-generation hack: smoked turkey. It brings the deep, wood-smoked funk of the homeland to a Tuesday night. The real secret to that prized, meat-like lumpy texture? Hydrating the ground melon seeds with blended onion before they ever see the oil.
Before you start
Using frozen spinach.
If you cannot find fresh spinach, one pound of frozen chopped spinach works perfectly, provided you thaw it entirely and wring out every last drop of water before adding it to the pot.
Ingredients
- red bell pepper1 large
- habanero peppers2 med
- yellow onion1 med
- Roma tomato1 med
- ground egusi2 cup
- yellow onion1/2 med
- water1/4 cup
- smoked turkey wings2 lb
- low-sodium chicken stock2 cup
- unrefined red palm oil3/4 cup
- iru2 tbsp
- ground dried crayfish3 tbsp
- Maggi seasoning cubes2 small
- fresh spinach8 cup
Method
- 01
Simmer the smoked turkey.
Place the turkey pieces and stock in a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to extract that essential smoky flavor, reserving both the meat and the liquid.
- 02
Puree the pepper base.
Pulse the red bell pepper, habaneros, whole onion, and tomato in a food processor until it forms a coarse puree, leaving some texture rather than blending it into a smooth liquid.
- 03
Form the egusi paste.
Blend the half onion and water until completely smooth, then mix it into the ground egusi powder with your hands or a spoon until it forms a thick, moldable paste.
- 04
Bloom the iru in palm oil.
Heat the red palm oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat for two minutes until melted and translucent, being extremely careful not to let it bleach or smoke, then stir in the locust beans for 60 seconds.
- 05
Fry the egusi.
Spoon the egusi paste into the hot oil in small clumps, let it sit undisturbed for a minute to sear, then stir continuously for 10 minutes until the melon seeds shrink, separate from the oil, and smell toasted.
- 06
Combine and simmer.
Stir in the coarse pepper puree and cook for 5 minutes, then gently fold in the reserved turkey, smoky broth, dried crayfish, and bouillon cubes, reducing the heat to low, covering the pot, and simmering for 15 minutes.
- 07
Wilt the spinach off the heat.
When the red oil pools at the surface, taste the broth and adjust for salt, then fold in the spinach, immediately cut the heat, and cover the pot to let it sit for 5 minutes so the greens wilt perfectly.
Notes
Hold back on the salt.
Smoked turkey and dried crayfish are both naturally salty, so wait until the final step to season the soup to taste.
The swallow is mandatory.
Pair this on a weeknight with instant Poundo yam, eba, or even a dense scoop of short-grain white rice.
From Cook Nigerian in America.