Cookbook:Ndole (Cameroonian Bitter Leaf and Peanut Soup)

Ndole is a popular traditional soup recipe in Cameroon that is made with the combination of spinach and bitter leaves as well as crayfish, shrimp, and beef. It is also a recipe for ceremony.

Ingredients

 * ½ pound stew beef, diced
 * Salt
 * 2 tablespoons maggi (stock cube)
 * 3 large onion, sliced
 * ½ pound stockfish (optional)
 * 2 cups shelled and peeled peanuts
 * 4–5 cloves garlic
 * ¾ cup ground crayfish
 * 1 pound bitter leaves or spinach


 * 2–3 cups oil
 * ½ pound shrimp

Equipment

 * Pot
 * Bowl
 * Stovetop
 * Knife
 * Cooking spoon
 * Blender/grinder
 * Saucepan
 * Frying pan

Procedure

 * 1) Season the beef in a big pot with salt, maggi, and one-third of the onions, then boil until the meat is soft.
 * 2) In the meantime, boil the stockfish with salt and water, then add it to the cooked beef. From the meat and stockfish you should get roughly 3 cups. Freeze or reserve the remainder.
 * 3) In a saucepan, boil the peanuts for around 10 minutes. Let it cool before pulsing or mixing it in a blender. Add to the meat and stockfish mixture.
 * 4) Grind half the remaining onion and garlic to a paste, then stir into the meat and peanut mixture.
 * 5) Add the crayfish, then boil it for 10 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Season with salt and maggi to taste. Later, you might need to add more.
 * 6) Add spinach or bitter leaves to the soup. Stir and continue to simmer for few minutes.
 * 7) Heat the oil in a frying pan while the ndole is simmering. Add the shrimp and stir continuously until they start to turn pink. Add all the remaining onions and stir again for a few more minutes.
 * 8) Add the shrimp and onion mixture to the soup pot, and stir continuously for about 2 minutes
 * 9) Serve hot.