African recipe No1: Pounded yam and Egusi soup

Pounded yam is a major popular african meal, mainly in the western part of Africa that in a recent poll conducted by CNN, Pounded Yam and egusi soup was voted as the national food of Nigeria.
Most Nigerian egusi soup recipes are made using melon seeds, palm oil, vegetables (bitter leaf or any other of our choice) and other condiments. Egusi soup is best enjoyed with pounded yam, eba, semo/wheat or amala.

Things needed in preparing pounded yam n egusi soup are:

1. 3 cooking spoons red palm oil
2. 500g of egusi (ground)
3. Protein of choice - beef, shaki (cow tripe), pomo (cow skin)
4. Dry fish and stockfish
5. 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
6. Pepper and salt (to taste)
7. Ugu (pumpkin leaves) or bitter leaf
8. Bullion cubes
9. 1 small ogiri okpei (optional)
   How to prepare:
10. Boil your meat and fish with salt, ginger, onions and pepper till tender.
11. Pour the red palm oil into a dry pot and set on the stove to heat. As soon as the oil melts, add the ground egusi and start frying. If the oil is not congealed, add the egusi as soon as the oil is translucent. Mix the ground egusi with oil till every grain of egusi turns yellow.
12. Start stirring the egusi on low to medium heat. Keep stir-frying for about 10 minutes.
13. Add the meat/fish stock (water from cooking the fish and meat) little by little while still stirring the egusi. When the stock is exhausted and you feel that the soup is still too thick, you can start adding hot water in the same way till you get the consistency you want. If your choice of vegetable is bitter leaf, add it at this time.
14. Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, stirring at intervals. Also, top up the water when necessary. If you don't stir it, it will burn. Cook for 30 minutes, you'll know the egusi is done when you notice that the oil has separated from the mix.
15. Add the ground crayfish and pepper. Stir and add the ugu.
16. Stir very well and add the cooked stockfish, shaki, pomo and meat.
17. Add salt if necessary. If it is too thick, add some water to bring it to a consistency you like.
18. Cover and leave to simmer.
    Walla! Food is ready, seat back and relax mind as you get trilled by the taste of the beautiful african meal............