Ndole is a Cameroonian soup made with a kind of tropical vegetable commonly known as “bitter leaf’. It’s the traditional dish of the people found in the littoral region of Cameroon. This dish is very popular in Cameroon and enjoyed by the entire country.

The biological name of bitter leaf is ‘vernonia amygdalina’ it has got a sharp bitter taste. So it needs to undergo a a series of thorough washing process to extract the bitter juice and throw away. After a thorough wash, we will be left with a slightly bitter- sweet taste which is perfect thw consistency we are after for the preparation of this soup.

In Africa we wash this vegetable properly and store in the freezer. We even dry some. Drying is one of the best ways of preserving this vegetable.

You can have Ndole for Lunch or dinner. Its always very delicious. You will always find Ndole all sorts of celebrations and parties in Cameroon.

Most people accompany or serve ndole with half ripe plantains, rice , cassava, yam , fufu corn, cocoyams , bobolo and miondoh.

Author: Annuchka Queen

Preptime: 30 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1h 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

1. Bitter leave or spinach  optional
2. 2 cups of peanuts
3. 4 garlic cloves
4. 2 large Onions
5. 1 kg Smoked fish or stock fish
6. 1 kg Meat and beef stock
7. Crayfish
8. 20 prawns
9. 2 cups Vegetable oil or bleached palm oil
10. Salt to taste
11. 3 maggi cubes

METHOD

• Place meat in a pot , season meat with salt maggi abd chopped onion. Pour 1.5 cups of water and allow to simmer. Then extract stock from meat and set aside. You do same with your stock fish.
• In a small pot boil peeled peanuts . Make sure you dont over boil them. Leaveto cold down for 5 mins then blend . Make sure you ised some water or part of the stock to blend your peanuts.
• Blend crayfish , garlic, ginger and set aside.
• Now pour oil in a pot and  fry onion, then pour your groundnut paste inside. Add ginger, garlic and crayfish and stir. Allow to simmer for 15 mins with medium heat. .
• Place bitter leave inside, bit by bit and stir as it simmers.
• As it simmers add more oil.
• Add your meat, stock fish and some stock and leave to simmer for 10 mins
• At a certain point your groundnut will look light  yellow this is a sign that your ndole is almost ready .
• Grace your Ndole with some beautifully diced onion and allow to cook for 5 more mins .
• I always fry my prawns and pour ontop of my ndole . I fry my prawns with sone onions . Though some prawns can sink under there is absolutely no problem with that. The prawns makes it delicious and beautify the toppings.
• You can now remove and dish allow to cold down for 5 mins then serve.

To view video of this recipe click to this link and dont forget to subscribe. Thanks

https://youtu.be/IalZcdRRStY

Enjoy !!!!