Did she really say Egusi Bisque?
Yes she did!
The egusi flavour is so strong though!
Yep! She knows that too.
I mean I see the addition of prawns and crayfish but why use Egusi?
Why not?
Why is this crazy lady talking to herself?
Well let me explain.
A bisque according to Wikipedia; “is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth (coulis) of crustaceans.[1] It can be made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp or crayfish.”
When I thought about this recipe, I wanted to make it as Nigerian as possible. Nigerians always add crayfish to their soups so that wasn’t going to be enough to say I was creating a bisque. What was I going to pulsate after cooking efo riro? It had to be something creamy and had a sort of semblance to what actual bisque looks like.
Egusi immediately came to mind but egusi is also very strong with its flavour and smell so I had to figure out a way to mask it and allow for people to eat with anything they like even bread. Yes Egusi and bread is a possibility. You can add more options to your bisque but I decided to stick with prawns and crayfish for this version of my meal. Let me know if you are brave enough to try it.
Recipe for Prawn Egusi Bisque (Serves 2)
Ingredients
1/2 cup of ground Egusi
2 Jumbo Prawns
1 cup of Tomato Pepper Mix (Tomato, Red Bell peppers – tatashe, Ata Rodo – Scotch Bonnet Peppers)
A small bulb of Onion
1 cooking spoon of Palm Oil
A heaped tablespoon of crayfish powder
Seasoning cubes
1 tablespoon of Butter
1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil
Method
In a pan, heat up your butter and vegetable oil, stir fry a handful of chopped onions and add your cleaned prawns.
Season and allow to cook on both sides and set aside.
In a pot, heat up your palm oil and fry the rest of your onions till translucent.
Pour in your tomato pepper mix and fry for 5-7 minutes on low-medium heat.
Add the egusi and allow to cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.
Add your seasoning cubes and crayfish powder and cook for 2 more minutes then take off the heat.
In a blender, pour in your cooked egusi and blend with 1/4 cup of water to loosen the mixture a bit. Add a little bit more water as needed. Remember, we are trying to create a creamy soup after sieving.
Once blended, pour your mix through a sieve and strain your creamy soup.
Pour back into a pot and heat up for 2 minutes on very low heat.
Serve your egusi bisque topped with your prawn.
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