top of page

NDOLE COOKED FROM “BITTERLEAVES” WITH SMOKED MEAT

natrecipes284

Hello friends; Ndole is an aromatic Cameroonian dish stew made of bitter leaves or spinach which is optional of Ndole leaves cannot be found. This will normally be found at a cameroonian food store or some African food stores depending where you live. This dish is  flavored with garlic, crayfish and fortified with shrimp which is optional and beef.

Comfort food at its best 👌. 

Ndole is a traditional meal of the Douala people of Cameroon. At the top of my favourite cameroonian dishes is Ndole 👌. I could eat this everyday fpr a whole week .😅😋. It is rich,  very nutritious and loved by many .  Ndole  can be served with a variety such as boiled or fried plantains, yam , rice , “Bobolo or Miondo” which is basically “fermentedcassava “.

If you attend a Cameroonian party , it is always present and if cooked properly flies off the table. You know why?

It is absolutely irresistible! 

Below are ingredients you will need for this dish . Enjoy!

In cameroon, we use limestone to remove the bitter taste from the bitterleaf. If you cannot find limestone, i,ll recommend you use baking soda. i,ll recommend this brand “Ann and Hammer “as it does a perfect job but any baking soda you choose to use is also fine.

Here are the ingredients needed for this recipe

2 or 3 cups peeled/blanched groundnuts

5 large packets of Ndole / bitter leaf. This can be found in any cameroonian, african food store . Ndole will always be written on the packet in the food stores so it would be easy to identify when purchasing. (Frozen Spinach can be used as a substitute).

kanwa is known as sel gemme in french or limestone in Nigeria. This helps to remove the bitterness from the bitterleaf before cooking. Baking soda is optional and will do just fine too if you cannot find lime salt .

1 pound (about half kg) meat. You can use any meat of your choice. Smoked goat meat was used in this recipe. You can also use smoked fish if that’s your preference.

2 Maggi cubes ; 1/4 teaspoon salt as a substitute ; 1 maggi cube crevette. Maggi cubes provides an additional flavour to the dish hence why i prefer using cubes than salt. This is how maggi cubes look like

1 large Onion ( sliced)

1/2 pound shrimp optional

1/2 pound stockfish . I used ground stock fish

2 to 3 garlic cloves

1 inch pinch ginger root

3/4 cup Crayfish (ground)

1-2 cups oil

1 hot Habanero pepper

METHOD OF PREPARATION

METHOD OF PREPARATION

In a pot season the meat with salt, maggi, onions and boil until tender depending on the choice of meat.  If using stock fish boil with salt , water and add it to the boiled meat. I used ground stockfish so I just added it to the meat.  You should have about 3 cups of stock from the meat. 

Reserve the rest or freeze it for another cooking.  Boil peanuts for about 15 minutes in a sauce pan and let it cool. Once cooled, blend on a food processor Let it cool and blend/pulse in a food processer into a smooth consistency.  At this stage, you can  use water to facilitate the blending . Add to the mixture of your meat and let it cook on a medium to low heat for 20 minutes. Cooking on a medium heat will prevent the groundnut mixture from sticking onto the pan. Blend one onion, ginger and garlic into a fine paste and add to the mixture of peanuts and meat. Pour in the crayfish and let it simmer  stirring frequently to prevent burns. Season with maggi and remember to taste the dish as you go along . 

Add the bitter leaves or frozen spinach to the pot. Stir and simmer  the pot of ndole.  In a frying pan , heat oil and pour in your remaining sliced onions and shrimp or prawns which is optional. Slice and add the remaining onions stirring  for a few more minutes. Finally incorporate the mixture of  onions , shrimp/prawns and oil into the pot of Ndole.

Stir for a few minutes and serve hot with any of the sides mentioned above.

This dish is very yummy 😋 

Get cooking and Enjoy! 

0 views0 comments

Comments


© 2025  by Natrecipes. All rights reserved 

  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Etsy
  • Amazon
  • Amazon
bottom of page