Eru and Water Fufu
Photo: Max MBAKOP, CC BY-SA 4.0
Eru and water fufu is a staple of Cameroonian cooking, especially among the Manyu people of the southwest region. The soup layers cow skin, meat and fish with shredded eru leaf, water leaf and a generous half litre of palm oil, finished with ground crayfish for depth. The fufu is stirred over the heat until smooth, then shaped and served alongside for scooping. It feeds eight and rewards a patient afternoon.
Instructions
Soak the eru leaves for 3 to 6 hours. If you are short on time, soak them for 1 hour and then boil them with baking soda for 30 minutes.
Wash the meat and fish. Put them in a pot with the maggi cube and a pinch of salt, and steam for about 30 minutes. In a separate pot, boil the cow skin for 30 minutes, then add the cleaned, cut meat and salt it.
Boil for about 10 minutes, until the gravy is as thick as you like. Season with ground hot pepper if you want heat. At the very end, add the soaked fish and keep its juices, which are used for the rest of the cooking.
Stir in the water leaf, or spinach, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the eru and boil, stirring from time to time.
Mix in the palm oil and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the ground crayfish and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, then take the pot off the heat.
For the water fufu, put the fufu mixture in a pot and stir with water until no lumps remain. Set it over the burner and stir with a wooden stick at regular intervals for about 45 minutes.
Check that the fufu is cooked through. Shape it into portions and serve hot with the eru.
Make it personal.
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