Vegetable egusi soup

Step 1: Mix 7 oz ground egusi (melon seeds) with half of ½ onion (grated or blended) and 6–8 tbsp water to a thick, spreadable paste.

Step 2: Blend 1 red bell pepper and 1 scotch bonnet chilli to a coarse purée.

Step 3: Heat ¼ cup red palm oil in a pot over a medium heat until it thins. Fry the chopped remaining ½ onion with 1 tbsp iru (fermented locust beans) if using until soft.

Step 4: Add the pepper purée and fry, stirring, until it darkens and the oil floats.

Step 5: Drop the egusi paste into the pot in tablespoon lumps. Leave it alone over a medium-low heat until the lumps turn pale and set, then turn them gently.

Step 6: Add 7 oz mushrooms and 2 ½ cups vegetable stock. Cover and simmer over a low heat, stirring now and then, until the egusi has broken into soft curds and the oil rises again to the top. A common mistake is cooking it too briefly: undercooked egusi tastes raw and grainy.

Step 7: Stir in 7 oz washed bitter leaf, ugu leaves or spinach and 1 tsp salt and simmer until the leaves have wilted but are still green. The soup should be thick enough to coat a spoon.

Step 8: Serve hot with pounded yam, eba or fufu.