Egusi seeds, a staple of West African cuisine, are a veritable superfood packed with nutritional benefits including being rich in protein, healthy fats and anti-inflammatory properties.

Egusi (called Ogili in Ibo and Agusi in Hausa) are melon seeds. The fruit of this plant can be eaten raw like cucumber or cooked in soups like marrow. However, in West Africa it is mainly harvested for its seeds. The black outer shell of the seed is removed manually and the creamy inner seed is ground raw or roasted for use in many dishes. In some places, the whole seed is fermented after being soaked in water, boiled and dried and made into what is called Ogiri.

Our egusi is sourced from organic farms with the melon seeds picked by hand for a cleaner finished product, and sun dried naturally. As we want all products to reach you in the freshest state possible, we purposely keep the seeds whole. Once ground, if not properly stored, ground egusi can start to degrade.

To use our whole egusi seeds, simply grind what you need. The extra effort is worth it.

Apart from cooking egusi in delicious soups, you can roast and eat as a healthy snack and even make an alternative to peanut butter!
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Order your egusi here  https://africanplate.co.uk/product/egusi-seeds/⁠

We also have the following easy recipe for you:

Ingredients

400g Mixed meat (beef, goat, shaki (tripe), cowfoot)

100g African Plate egusi seeds (ground finely)

35ml Palm Oil

1 small onion (chopped into small pieces)

2 scotch bonnet (chopped into small pieces)

170g spinach (chopped)

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon of African Plate Ami Ami Spice

10g African Plate locust beans (pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes)

For a vegetarian alternative, the mixed meat could be substituted for dried mushrooms.

Instructions

1. Cut the meat into 3-4cm pieces.  Put in a pot with the salt and Ami Ami spice.  Add water to cover the meat.  Bring to the boil and then cook over a low heat until the meat is tender and little water remains.
2. Add 200ml of water to the cooked meat to create additional stock.
3. In a different pot, fry the onion and pepper in the palm oil for 5 minutes. 
4. Add the ground egusi seeds and fry for another 5 minutes, stirring well.
5. Add the egusi mixture and the spinach to the meat broth. 
6. Cook covered for 10 minutes.
7. Serve with African Plate Coconut Poundo (cooking instructions on the packaging).