About this Dish
Cameroon's national dish — bitter leaf stew simmered with peanuts, fish, and beef.
History & Origin
Ndole is widely considered Cameroon's signature dish, its bitterness from ndole leaves balanced by ground peanuts, traditionally served at weddings and major celebrations.
IngredientsServes 2
🌿Fresh or frozen bitter leaves (ndoleh), 400g washed and squeezed
🥜Raw groundnuts (peanuts), 300g skinned and ground into a paste
🐟Smoked fish (crayfish or stockfish), 200g soaked and flaked
🥩Beef (chuck or stewing beef), 400g cut into chunks
🦐Dried crayfish, 3 tablespoons ground
🧅Large onions, 2 roughly chopped
🌶️Scotch bonnet peppers, 2 whole
🧄Garlic cloves, 4 minced
🫒Palm oil or vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons
🧂Salt and seasoning cube (Maggi), to taste
Method
1
Season the beef chunks with salt, one chopped onion, garlic, and a seasoning cube, then boil in just enough water for 30–40 minutes until tender. Reserve the stock — it is the base of your stew.2
While the beef cooks, thoroughly wash and squeeze the bitter leaves multiple times with warm salted water to reduce their bitterness, then squeeze out as much water as possible and set aside.3
Blend the ground peanut paste with about 300ml of the reserved beef stock until smooth, then pour it into a large pot and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly so it does not burn at the bottom.4
Add the remaining chopped onion, scotch bonnet peppers, dried crayfish, palm oil, and the flaked smoked fish into the peanut pot. Stir everything together and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.5
Add the cooked beef and its remaining stock to the pot, mix well, and taste for salt and seasoning. Let everything cook together for 10 minutes so the flavours marry.6
Add the squeezed bitter leaves, stir them in thoroughly, and cook on low heat for 10–15 minutes until the stew is rich, thick, and fragrant. Do not overcook the leaves or they will lose their colour and texture.7
Serve hot with boiled plantains, cocoyam, beignets (puff puff), or boiled white rice.User Reviews
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