Egusi and Pounded Yam
Delicious Nigerian dish that has so much umami goodness and makes for a hearty meal. I have some optional modifications because as Ghanaian I love adding a bit of tomato and ginger to my stews but again these are optional and not how the dish is traditionally made. This is called egusi soup though it has thicker consistency more like a stew. I am serving it here with pounded yam, made non traditionally over the stove and kneaded as opposed to pounded.
Ingredients
- 2 cups ground egusi melon
- 1 cup palm oil or less if you prefer
- 2 tablspoons neutral oil
- 1/4 cup crayfish
- 3 tablespoon locust beans (dried or wet)
- 24 oz chopped spinach
- 1 tomato optional, omit for a more traditional recipe
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste optional, omit for a more traditional recipe
- 2 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 habanero pepper more to taste
- 1 Fresno Pepper
- 2 onions sliced
- 1 lb smoked turkey you may use other meat like tripe, beef, or seafood
- 2 cartons assorted sliced mushrooms optional, but adds a nice flavour, textural component and more meatiness to the soup
- salt to taste
- 3 cups chicken stock
Pounded Yam
- 1 tuber yam
- salt to taste
- water as needed
Instructions
- Mix together the ground egusi melon with equal parts water and set aside to hydrate. Add more water as necessary to achieve a thick paste consistency.
- In a pot add your smoked turkey and water and boil on low heat for up to 45 minutes to heat through, soften the turkey. Top up with water as needed.
- If using mushrooms, in a pan on medium heat, add a table spoon of neural oil saute your variety of mushrooms until nice and browned and season with salt to taste. Set aside until ready to add in.
- Blend the belle pepper, and hot pepper and tomato if using together until smooth and set aside.
- Heat your palm oil in a large pot or deep pan and allow it to melt over medium heat but don't overheat the oil ass your sliced onion and sautee for about 3 minutes.
- Add your, locust beans, garlic and ginger paste and cray fish powder. Let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat stirring so it doesn't burn.
- Add the blended pepper and cook reduced stirring often so it doesn't burn.
- Add add your turkey stock from your boiling smoked turkey or other meat stock, and simmer on low stirring periodically so it does not burn.
- In large spoon fulls place egusi paste on top of your stew until you have used it all up. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and allow it to cook for about 20 to 30. Gently stir periodically again to prevent burning but in uniform strokes trying to avoid breaking up egusi too much until it is cooked.
- Add your turkey meat, mushrooms if using and mix in and let heat up with your stew.
- Stir in the spinach and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve hot with your pounded yam.
Pounded Yam (Modified)
- Peel your yam and wash thoroughly, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- Bring to boil in a large pot with water
- When yam is fully cooked and tender and almost falling apart (over cooked), drain the yam reserving the water
- Using a potato masher, mash the yam in the pot adding back in the reserved water it boiled in until it is relatively free of lumps. If there are lumps it is okay though.
- Using a wooden spoon knead the yam in the pot adding reserved water until the consistency is smooth and soft. This may take up to 10 minutes.
- Once the consistency is too your liking divide into pieces, place each piece on top of plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to encase the kneaded yam forming a ball.
- Eat your pounded yam with your egusi