Nigerian Egg Pepper Soup
Tomatoes, chicken or vegetable broth and ground crayfish (optional) come together in this chicken β 70 minutes, 7 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Place the eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 9 to 10 minutes for fully set yolks; cool under cold running water, peel, and set the whole eggs aside.
- Roughly blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, half the onion, the garlic and ginger into a smooth puree.
- Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat and saute the remaining finely chopped onion until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in the blended pepper mixture and fry, stirring often, for about 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens slightly and loses its raw smell.
- Add the broth, cayenne pepper, ground crayfish and a little salt, then bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes so the flavours meld into a light, brothy soup; taste and adjust the salt and heat.
- Slip the peeled boiled eggs into the simmering soup and warm them through for 3 to 4 minutes, spooning the broth over them so they take on the colour and spice.
- Stir in the chopped scent leaves or basil just before serving and ladle into bowls, giving each portion one or two whole eggs and plenty of the peppery broth.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet Β· Saucepan Β· Pan Β· Large pot Β· Blender
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ΒΌ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) Β· 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
Tips & common questions
How long does Nigerian Egg Pepper Soup take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ΒΌ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Nigerian Egg Pepper Soup is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: A Northern Nigeria food Yam and soup 5.jpg by Hajjare, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.