Pilé Pomme de Terre (Cameroonian Mashed Potatoes and Beans)

Hello There!

A Cameroonian classic! My late Grandma Thérèse’s favorite!

Today is a very special occasion: we have the one and only Pilé de Pomme de Terre, also known as “Tchou’h”.

This one is very special as it reminds me of my late Grandma Thérèse. Whenever she would come to Italy, or France, she always made sure to cook two dishes before returning to Cameroun: “le Pilé” and her amazing Okra Stew (or as we used to call it, le “sblesh”, to mimic the sound of fufu dropping into the plate lol).

My Mom and I have tried to recreate my Grandma’s Pilé for years now, but it has never come quite close to hers: she had an incredible amount of love for her children, grandchildren and anyone who would cross her path, I guess that was her special ingredient.

The main ingredients are: potato, beans and palm oil.

As you can see, it is an incredible easy and budget-friendly recipe, yet no Pilé is ever the same and this for a few reasons:

• Red or black beans? We use black beans in Western Cameroon, but most people use the red ones as they’re easier to come across in stores.

• Onions or no onions? Not everyone enjoys using onions: I love onions, so I definitely use more than my Grandma (and the average human being, to be honest)
• Red or white onions? Go for red if you want the extra sweetness, but either or both work just fine.
• Palm oil or vegetable oil? This is not the time to write a dissertation about the alleged harm caused by palm oil, so let’s move on. This recipe 100% calls for palm oil: without it, it won’t taste the same, plus, it also gives the Pilé its characteristic yellow/orange color.

You can adjust the quantity of palm oil to your liking in terms of textures, color or flavor.

Same thing with the onions: as I previously stated, I love onions, but I understand if you’re not as obsessed with them as I am lol

Whichever ingredients you decide to use, I suggest soaking a large quantity of beans the day prior, then cooking them in the morning in a pan, or pressure cooker for quicker results, and finally, storing the excess beans in the freezer ready for later use.

For more Bean recipes, click here below:

• Caribbean Dumpling Soup (Bouyon Boy)
• Beignets Haricots (Cameroonian Puff Puff)
• Spicy Italian Chicken Soup Minestrone
• Red Red (Ghanaian Bean Stew)

Well, without further ado, scroll below for the full recipe and video instructions.

Bon Appétit!