Agushi stew is not only a Ghanaian staple but is also eaten widely in other parts of Africa and the recipes vary from region to region. In Ghana, these melon seeds are typically made into a palm oil-based sauce or stew and eaten with boiled yam or plantain. In Nigeria (Egusi) the seeds are made into egusi soup with or without green leafy vegetables and then eaten with pounded yam or other sides.
Other wonderful Ghanaian recipes to check out are the ever-popular waakye and stew, groundnut soup with chicken, kelewele, gari foto, oil-free okro soup, and okro soup with fish. The list is of course never complete without an all-time favourite, kenkey.
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What is Agushi or Egusi?
Agushi or Egusi seeds (also known as akatoa, egwusi, agushie) are the seeds of a melon, most commonly Cucumeropsis manniis. The seeds however can also come from other melons like Citrullus colocynthis, Lagenaria sicceraria, Telfaria occidentalis, all from the Cucurbitaceae family according to the Lost Crops of Africa.
The seeds are common in Africa, particularly West Africa and are used in a variety of soups and stews but also as a snack. Agushi seeds are high in fat and protein and have great nutritional value. They are also fantastic when toasted and added to salads like in this fantastic and colourful fonio salad.
The name Egusi is thought to be of Yoruba origin and translates to melon, whereas Agushi is thought to be Hausa. I got a lot of conflicting information trying to find out the origins of the words Egusi and Agushi and will update this post if I get any more information regarding this.
Ingredients
This agushi stew is a palm oil-based stew with the addition of smoked grouper, akpatogui, or koobi, and some smoked herrings. See my gari foto recipe for more information on akpatogui and smoked herrings. The akpatogui (salted, dried tilapia) adds a nice layer of salt as well as umami to the dish.
When buying agushi, you can either find the seeds sold whole or already ground. I typically never buy ground agushi but it is a great alternative if you do not have the time to grind them up yourself - and it is also more convenient.
To make this stew tasty you are going to need dried shrimp powder or dried crayfish. Shrimp powder can be quite expensive or not easily accessible. If you do use stock cubes to cook generally, then you can easily substitute shrimp powder with shrimp stock cubes or with fish powder. There is no beating using the real thing though, in my opinion.
Instructions
There are two ways of preparing the agushi seeds for the stew. Once the seeds are blended you can either cook them separately in some oil (or water) and then add them later to the palm oil-tomato base.
Alternatively, you can add the blended seeds directly into the palm oil and tomato base. I tend to use both methods depending on what mood I am in. In this recipe, I use the former.
The first step is to first pick the seeds and remove any unwanted bits and then rinse the seeds with water. The next step is to blend the seeds, cook that in some palm oil, and set that aside.
Then make the tomato base by frying some onions in palm oil and then adding the blended tomatoes, shrimp powder, and fish. Then add back the agushi and cook further until ready. If you want a looser texture you will need to add some water and then let it simmer.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetable oil - if you are not a fan of palm oil or you want to switch it up you can use vegetable oil and this stew tastes just as amazing.
- Kontomire or spinach - you can add kontomire or spinach to agushi stew and this makes it very tasty too.
- Chunks of beef - You can add either only chunks of steamed beef to this agushi stew or you can mix it with the fish in the stew.
How do I store Agushi Stew?
This stew can be frozen for up to 2 months without any problems. Simply thaw once you are ready to eat and then heat.
Tip
I find that when making agushi stew, you want it to be a bit spicy or peppery. Agushi seeds are about 50 percent oil and for me anything oily or greasy needs a bit of spice or acid to offset the oil a bit. Also, it tastes much better when the agushi stew is a bit spicy. If you can't handle pepper in general, then of course leave that out.
Agushi Stew
Ingredients
- 100 grams agushi seeds approximately
- 4 small smoked herrings soaked in water with bones taken out
- 1 medium akpatogui/koobi
- 4 tablespoons shrimp powder
- smoked grouper chunks or any other firm smoked fish
- 1 large onion half sliced and half left whole
- 2 small tomatoes
- palm oil
- salt
- 3 scotch bonnets or any hot pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pick out any dark bits from the agushi seeds.
- Rinse the seeds in water about 2-3 times.
- In a blender or a food processor, add the agushi seeds, half of the onion, and 1 scotch bonnet, and blend until fine.
- In a large pan add about 4 tablespoons of palm oil and fry the agushi in it over low heat for about 8 minutes. Set aside.
- Blend the tomatoes with the rest of the scotch bonnets.
- In another pot, add some palm oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and then fry the sliced onions for about 2 minutes.
- Add the blended tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the herrings, the koobi (see note 1), and the shrimp powder and stir.
- Add a bit of water to the stew and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the grouper chunks and the agushi and stir. Let it simmer for a further 5 minutes. See notes 2.
- Serve with boiled yam, boiled ripe plantains, or plain boiled rice.
Video
Notes
- The akpatogui/koobi (which is salted dried tilapia) is very salty, which is why it goes into the stew at the very beginning. This gives it enough time for the salt to diffuse into the stew. Any additional salt should be added when the stew is almost done.
- If your stew is a bit dry at this point, add some water and let it simmer.
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