Ndole (Cameroonian Bitter Leaf and Peanut Soup)
Photo: Ishtar19, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ndole is a Cameroonian soup of bitter leaves or spinach in a thick peanut base, finished with beef, stockfish and shrimp. The ground peanuts give the broth body, while crayfish adds a deep savory note. Frying the shrimp and onions in oil and stirring them in at the end keeps them distinct from the stew. It is traditionally served at ceremonies, so it suits a table with plenty of guests.
Instructions
Put the beef in a large pot with salt, the maggi and one third of the sliced onions. Cover with water and boil until the meat is soft.
While the beef cooks, boil the stockfish in salted water in a separate pot, then add it to the beef. You want about 3 cups of meat and stockfish in the pot, so freeze or set aside any extra.
Boil the peanuts in a saucepan for about 10 minutes and let them cool. Blend or pulse them until ground, then stir them into the meat and stockfish.
Grind half of the remaining onions with the garlic into a paste and stir it into the pot.
Add the crayfish and boil for 10 minutes, stirring often so the peanuts do not catch and burn. Taste and season with salt and maggi, and expect to adjust again later.
Stir in the bitter leaves or spinach and simmer for a few minutes until they are tender.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the shrimp and stir constantly until they turn pink. Add all the remaining onions and cook for a few more minutes.
Tip the shrimp and onions into the soup pot and stir constantly for about 2 minutes. Serve hot.
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