How to Make Cameroonian Ndolé
Ndolé is often called Cameroon’s national dish: bitter leaves cooked into a creamy groundnut sauce with beef, shrimp or fish. It is served at weddings, holidays and family gatherings, usually with fried or boiled plantain (miondo and bobolo cassava sticks are classic sides too).
Ingredients
- 500 g bitter leaves, fresh, frozen or dried (spinach works if you cannot find them)
- 2 cups raw peanuts (groundnuts)
- 500 g beef, shrimp or firm fish, or a mix
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, minced
- 1 to 2 scotch bonnets (optional)
- 1 cup vegetable or palm oil
- 1 to 2 stock cubes, salt and pepper
- Water or stock
Method
- Prepare the leaves. Wash fresh bitter leaves and squeeze repeatedly until the bitterness softens. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes and drain. For dried leaves, rehydrate first; for spinach, just rinse and chop.
- Prepare the groundnuts. Boil or lightly roast the peanuts, remove the skins, then blend into a smooth paste with a little water.
- Cook the meat. Season the beef with onion, salt and a stock cube and cook until tender. Keep the stock. (If using shrimp or fish, cook them briefly later instead.)
- Build the sauce. Heat oil and fry half the onions with the garlic and ginger. Add the groundnut paste and gradually stir in the meat stock until you have a thick, creamy sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring so it does not stick.
- Add the leaves and protein. Stir in the bitter leaves, meat (and shrimp or fish). Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Finish. Fry the remaining onions in a little oil until golden and pour over the top before serving.
Serve it with
- Fried or boiled ripe plantain
- Miondo or bobolo (cassava sticks)
- Boiled yam or cassava
- White rice
Tips
- Still too bitter? Boil the leaves in a change of water
- Stir often: groundnut sauce sticks easily
- Add water to loosen the sauce if it gets too thick
- Ndolé tastes even better the next day
Over to you: Plantain or miondo with your ndolé? Tell us in the comments or share your story.
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