Hello There!
Two weeks ago, we traveled to Cameroon to discover the world of the Kondre; this week… we are still in Cameroon xD
In case you didn’t know, May 20th is the National Day of Cameroon, also known as Unity Day: this year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the unification of Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon. What better way to honor this date than sharing the recipe of the most famous Cameroonian dish (alongside Poulet DG)?
So yes, today’s recipe is: Ndolé with Beef and Shrimp (Ndolé Boeuf et Crevettes).
Ndolé
The name of the dish comes from the green leaf used in the recipe, the ndolé. Despite what Instagram fitness and nutrition gurus lead you to believe, cooking greens is not a recent trend. In Cameroon and overall Western/Central Africa we are no strangers to using a vast array of leafy greens in our day-to-day cuisine: Ndole, Okok, Eru, Folon, Fumbwa, Njama Njama… you name it, we cook it!
The peculiarity of the Ndolé, also known as Bitterleaf, is its taste. As the name suggests, it is bitter (very much so!) hence why it needs to be washed, boiled and strained several times before consumption.
There’s nothing worse than a bitter Ndolé, trust me: I speak from experience :/
The process can be tedious, which may explain why many Cameroonians do not even bother cooking this dish or, as I usually do, they simply opt for frozen Ndolé leaves.
You can find them in any African/Ethnic store: despite them being ready-to-use, I still prefer to repeat the boiling/straining process twice to ensure that, not only the leaves are thoroughly clean, but also, that they do not taste too bitter.
Once the leaf are washed and strained, the rest of the recipe will feel like a walk in the park.
Peanuts
White, shelled peanuts are the white component of this Green & White flavorful dish. Peanuts are blended with onions, ginger, leek and garlic into a chunky paste, which will be cooked with more onions (ohh, we love onions) before adding the ndolé leaves and the remaining ingredients.
The peanuts can be either soaked overnight in a large quantity of water, or, if in a rush, they can be rinsed and boiled for 20 to 30 minutes. For this recipe, I used the latter.
Beef and Shrimp
There isn’t a single way to cook Ndole: some rather used smoked fish, others beef, others shrimps or even all of them. I like my shrimp to be present, at all times! lol
I was feeling bougie, so I used both beef and shrimp for this recipe. Moreover, I used frozen smoked cod which I let thaw to tenderness. I do not use “hard” smoked fish as I do not like the texture.
Again, for texture, I prefer to crush/blend the crayfish into a powder-like finish.
Onions
Lots of it! If you do not like onions, you might want to refrain from eating Ndolé altogether as onions are used in pretty much every.single.step. of the recipe (again, we love onions here).
While only yellow onions could be used for the recipe, I like to throw in some red onions in the very final steps, when cooking the shrimp: it adds a nice sweet touch along with the palm oil.
Ndolé is traditionally served with Miondo or Bobolo (fermented cassava, cooked and boiled in leaves) or plantain, but white rice will work just as fine.
Well, without further ado, here’s the recipe. Scroll below for video instructions.
Bon appetit!
Ndolé with Beef and SHrimp (Cameroonian Bitterleaf stew)
Course: MainCuisine: African, Cameroonian8
servings20
minutes1
hour40
minutesIngredients
650g Beef
350g Shrimp (Raw)
300g Peanuts (Raw)
2 balls Ndole (Frozen)
Vegetable Oil
2 Yellow Onions (sliced)
1 Leek
60g Ginger (peeled)
100g smoked fish (tender), optional
3 tablespoons Crayfish
3 tablespoons Palm Oil
1 Red Onion (sliced)
Salt and Pepper
Directions
- Thaw the ndolé leaves.
- In a large pot, bring to boil a large quantity of water with salt.
- Once the water is boiling, add in the leaves, cook for 15 minutes, then place in cold water and strain. Repeat once and set aside.
- In a smaller pot, add in the peanuts and cover in water. Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes covered. Strain and set aside.
- Salt and pepper the meat. (Optional: add a tablespoon of green seasoning)
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot, add in ½ onion and cook 2 minutes. Add in the meat and cook until brown. Set the meat aside and save the broth for later.
- Cover in water and cook for 30 minutes until tender.
- In a blender, add in the peanuts, leeks, ½ onion, ginger, garlic and enough water to blend into a paste-like texture.
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pot, add in ½ onion and cook 2 minutes. Add in the peanuts, ndolé, salt and pepper and ½ the broth. Cook for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
- Add in the meat, broth, smoked fish and crayfish, adjust with salt to taste. Cook 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and ginger.
- In a pan, add in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the palm oil. Once melted, add in the remaining yellow onion and the red onion. Cook until translucent.
- Add in the shrimp and cook until it is pink.
- Pour half of it over the ndolé and stir. Pour over the remaining half and let it sit for 10 minutes.
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