Egusi

Method

1. Put 120 g beef chunks in a heavy pot with 20 g of the chopped onion and a good pinch of salt. Add 250 ml water, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and you have a dark, well-flavoured stock. Do not drain it — the stock is the body of the soup.
2. Meanwhile, put 60 g ground egusi into a blender with the remaining 20 g onion, 1 scotch bonnet and 100 ml water. Blend to a thick, smooth paste that just holds its shape on a spoon; add a splash more water only if the blades stall.
3. Heat 1 tbsp red palm oil in a wide pot over medium heat until it thins and loosens but is nowhere near smoking. Scrape in the egusi paste and fry it for about 10 minutes, stirring and pressing with a wooden spoon, until it stops smelling raw, curdles into small golden lumps and the oil starts to separate around them. Keep the heat moderate — scorched egusi turns the whole soup bitter.