How to cook Cameroon Ndole (Bitterleaves and peanut casserole)?

Cameroon Ndole is a creamy, delicious, and very popular Cameroonian dish. It is very much in demand for big celebrations and to welcome quality guests. This meal can be served with boiled plantains, fried sweet plantains, gari fufu, or another side dish of your choice.

To cook Cameroon Ndole you need to consider enough time because different ingredients need to be prepared beforehand.

First, you start to prepare the peanuts. Cameroon Ndole is usually made with white peanuts (peanuts without their skin), but if you don’t have white peanuts, you can also use the peanuts with skin on the recipe. There is no problem with using red peanuts (with skin). The skin is known as being a source of vitamins, it is for aesthetic reasons that people use white peanuts.

To prepare the peanuts, you need to either soak them overnight or boil them in water. When you boil the peanuts, let them cool down. Then blend them with onion, leek, and garlic using a good blender.

Afterward, you need to clean, wash, and cut the meat into pieces, put them in a pot, and cook them with one onion, one teaspoon of black pepper, and one teaspoon of thyme.

Next, you need to clean the Bitterleaf. As its name mentions, Bitterleaf is bitter, so it must be properly washed to eliminate any bitterness. For this recipe, I bought 4 sachets of washed Bitterleaf (each sachet is 500g, but after washing it weighs less). To avoid an unpleasant surprise, I boiled the leaves in water for about 15 minutes. If the texture of the bitter leaves is hard, you need to add some Kanwaa while it is boiling to make the leaves soft.

Afterward, I sieved it and let it cool. When it is cold, I wash it by rubbing it with my hands. Then I taste it to check if it is bitter. If yes, I continue washing until the bitterness disappears. The 3 sachets (1.5 kg) I bought gave me 500g of clean Bitterleaf after washing.

Preparation steps for Ndole

To summarize what has been said before, follow these steps:

1. Cut the uncooked meat into pieces and place them into a cooking pot. Add one chopped onion, black pepper, thyme, and salt (these spices are not included in the ingredient list below). Pour in water at the same level as the meat and let it boil until soft and tender. Always make sure there is enough water in the pot because you will need the stock later for cooking.
2. While the meat is cooking, boil the bitter leaves for about 10 minutes, sieve and let it cool. Put the bitter leaves in a kitchen bowl and wash them properly by rubbing them between your hands. Rinse with water, taste to make sure they are not bitter anymore and set aside for later.
3. Boil the peanuts for about 10 minutes. Sieve and let them cool down. Then blend them with 3 onions, leek, and garlic, hot pepper (optional) into a fine paste using a blender. You should use water to blend easily.

Keynotes

1. Make sure the bitter leaves are properly washed and have lost any taste of bitterness
2. Use a good quality pot that does not easily burn food, because this meal can quickly burn during the cooking process.
3. Be very cautious while cooking the peanut base because it spits everywhere and can easily land on your skin. To avoid lots of spits, you need to cook the peanut base at low heat and while turning, avoid bringing your face too close to the pot.

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