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Le Ndolé Camerounais (Cameroonian Ndolé)

Le Ndolé Camerounais (Cameroonian Ndolé) is a traditional Cameroonian recipe for a classic stew of bitterleaf in an onion and garlic base thickened with dried prawns and peanuts and flavoured with Maggi cubes and hot chilli. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Cameroonian version of: Cameroonian Ndolé (Le Ndolé Camerounais).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

50 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesVegetable RecipesCameroon Recipes

This is, very definitely the national dish of Cameroon. N'dolé is the local name for the leaf, known in Nigeria as 'bitterleaf'. This can be found, typically dried, in African supermarkets. Though many recipes suggest that you can substitute spinach, a better substitute would be kale or betel leaves. Originally, the dish derived from the Douale peoples of the Atlantic coast of Cameroon and was made with seafood (as here), though, these days it is also commonly made with chicken (see the recipe for Chicken N'dolé.

The version given here is probably the most meagre of all the ndolé recipes on this site, made with just the basic sauce with the optional addition of dried prawns. For a richer seafood version, see the recipe for N'dolé (Bitterleaf Stew).

Ingredients:

1 bunch bitterleaf (or kale or betel leaves)
1 onion
4 tbsp raw, shelled, peanuts, blanched and chopped
1 hot chilli
2 Maggi cubes
100g dried prawns (optional)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
ground white pepper, to taste
oil
salt, to taste

Method:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the bitterleaf (ndolé) and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the bitterleaf and chop.

Chop the onion. Add about 6 tbsp oil to a pan and use to fry the onion for about 4 minutes, or until soft but not coloured. Stir in the peanuts and cook for 10 minutes, then and the dried prawns. Crush the chilli and add with the Maggi cubes, salt, garlic and white pepper.

Add the bitterleaf and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick.

Serve hot.