"Don't worry, you're going to love it," said my father as my twelve year old body trembled with fear and excitement while I boarded a plane for the first time. I had a one way ticket to Nigeria. Nineteen hours and forty-five minutes of straight flight time later, I heard the pilot say, "we have arrived in Lagos, Nigeria"; my journey to "find my roots" had just began. I exited the plane I was shocked to find it very hot on this December day. A few moments later I was warmly greeted by my Aunt Rita we she drove us to her place. When we arrived to her place a thick aroma came from her kitchen it hit my nose and sent shock waves to my stomach causing it cry out with a loud grumble. She told me she prepared Egusi soup for me, I asked her why would I eat soup when the weather is so hot. Walking into the kitchen, smiled, and informed me that unlike in the U.S., Nigeria and other West African countries eat soup daily with "fufu" (a staple food with dough like consistency mainly made of grounded cassava or plantain mostly eaten in West Africa.) She served me a bowl of Egusi soup with fufu on a small plate and showed me how to properly use my hands to break pieces of fufu mold it into small balls and dip them into the soup. It was both a fun and delicious experience, so much that during my stay I requested to eat Egusi soup so frequently that she decided to teach me. I am going to explain how to make my all time favorite dish Egusi soup. Before you start your attempt to make the best soup ever. You will need to grab these basic kitchen tools: a ten quart pot with lid half- filled with water or smaller (depending on how much you want to make). A nine inch skillet ( I prefer non-stick), a wooden spoon, a strainer, a big plastic cooking spoon with holes, a knife, a fork, one large bowl and two smaller ones, a towel for cleaning up as you go and most importantly an electric blender. Now that you have all the needed tools, let's get the ingredients.
