Nigerian melon seed and spinach soup with beef (Egusi soup)

1. Cut the beef into 2 cm cubes and simmer, covered, with the stock, one diced onion and the salt for 40 minutes.

2. Grind the egusi seeds finely in a food processor and mix with a little water to a thick paste; blend the tomatoes, the other onion and the chilli until smooth.

3. Heat the palm oil in a large pan, add the blended tomato mixture and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Drop the egusi paste in small mounds with a teaspoon, leave without stirring for 5 minutes so the mounds set, then turn gently.

5. Add the meat with its cooking liquid and the cleaned, flaked dried fish and simmer for 15 minutes until the oil rises to the top.

6. Fold in the roughly chopped spinach, cook for 5 minutes and serve with fufu or ugali.

Tip: Egusi soup is one of Nigeria's best-loved soups; it is really more of a thick sauce, eaten with fufu by scooping it up with a pinched-off piece of dough. If you can't find egusi, hulled pumpkin seeds are a good substitute; use sunflower oil with 1 tsp smoked paprika for the palm oil and habanero for the scotch bonnet. The dried fish can be left out, but it adds depth.