Nigerian egusi soup

Ingredients

• 200 gSeeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried
• 500 gBeef, chuck, arm pot roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw
• 150 gFish, haddock, smoked
• 80 gOil, palm
• 150 gOnions, raw
• 150 gPeppers, sweet, red, raw
• 15 gPeppers, hot chili, red, raw
• 400 gSpinach, raw
• 4 gSoup, chicken broth or bouillon, dry
• 4 gSalt, table
• 1,000 gBeverages, water, tap, drinking
• 20 gCrustaceans, crayfish, mixed species, wild, raw

Method

1. Cut the beef into 3 cm cubes and mix with 2 g salt, 50 g chopped onion and the crumbled bouillon. Skin and bone the smoked fish and flake it.
2. Cover the beef with 700 g water, bring to a boil and cook covered for 50 minutes at 95 °C until tender; keep the broth in the pot.
3. Blend the red pepper, scotch bonnet and remaining onion with 50 g water. Mix the ground egusi with 100 g water into a thick paste.
4. Heat the palm oil for 2 minutes to 160 °C and fry the pepper mixture for 8 minutes. Add the egusi paste by spoonfuls, leave unstirred for 5 minutes to set into curds, then turn gently for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the beef with its broth, the remaining 150 g water, the fish, the ground crayfish and 2 g salt and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
6. Stir in the roughly chopped spinach and cook uncovered for 5 minutes until wilted. Divide among 10 bowls.