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HOW TO MAKE LOVELY NDOLE!

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Oh-la-la! Somebody say, Ndole! Ndole, how I looove Ndole! This meal which originates from the Littoral region in Cameroon consists a perfect culinary marriage of vegetable (bitterleaf) and protein (groundnuts/peanuts).  

In this recipe I mixed dried bitterleaf with some spinach. I wanted the spinach for its freshness and also to neutralise the bitter taste of the bitterleaf. If you wish, you could make this just with spinach. For me, I always want the bitterleaf in there. That's why it is Ndole. 
Due to its unbeatable taste, Ndole often answers present at Cameronian occasions. It is definitely a crowd-pleaser. If you have never made this before, try it and it will be " love at first cook" for you.
I love making my Ndole with beef or beef feet (foot cow) but this time I had just stock fish at home and I wasn't about to take a 20 minute trip to a store to get my choice meat. Like they say, use what you have to get what you want. Since I had stock fish at home so I decided to add shrimps to it in order to make it a seafood version of the meal. Absolutely ah-mazing! If you are not a fan of shrimps, seafood and other things like that please just use regular meat. It works just fine.
NDOLE RECIPE

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6
You'll need 
2 cups of peeled groundnuts (also called called peanuts)
3 cups of bitterleaf and/or spinach
Half teaspoon of baking SODA (for blanching vegetables)
¼ cup crayfish- coarsely blended
2 pounds of boiled beef/beef feet/smoked fish/stock fish/shrimps 
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 maggi crevette (crayfish seasoning cube)
2 regular seasoning cubes (maggi or knorr)
1 large onion
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 habanero pepper (totally optional)
Here is how to make lovely Ndole
I used a blend of dried bitterleaves and fresh spinach so I started out by soaking my bitterleaf. So soak your bitterleaf if dried before blanching. If using fresh bitterleaf, skip this stage.

Put your groundnuts in a pot and let it boil. I purchase already peeled groundnuts from the store. When boiling, put just enough water to slightly cook the groundnuts so you do not have to throw any.

Here are the cooked groundnuts with very little water left which I used in the blending process.

If using shrimps, season them with a little salt (and white pepper if you wish) and set aside to marinate.

Chop up your spinach.

Start the boiling and blanching process. Put water in a pot to boil and put in salt and baking soda. The baking soda helps the vegetables retain their green colour just like "Akangwa" or "Kangwa" (lime stone). However, I have read that baking soda may harm some nutrients in vegetables so if that is a concern to you, you may want to skip that. When water is boiled, put in bitterleaf and stir. The baking soda of kangwa causes it to foam.

Use the tip of your finger to check the bitterleaf for softness.

If soft enough, add in the spinach and turn off the stove. Let it sit for TWO minutes. If you leave the spinach in there for too long, it will get too soft and you may not like it. So two minutes it is. Look at that contrast in colour between the dried bitterleaf and fresh spinach!

Pour vegetable onto a strainer and immediately run cold water on it. If you do not do this, the heat will continue to cook the vegetables much to your disadvantage. When you have rinsed thoroughly, use both hands to roughly kill the vegetables then you squeeze and keep in a bowl. Note: slightly more vegetable than the amount below made it to the pot.
Peel garlic and ginger and chop half of your onions then put in a blender plus  your boiled groundnuts and pepper (if using). I used the small compartment of my blender because it does the job better for me. I had to blend the groundnuts in three batches.

Blend that baby to perfection and by perfection I don't mean a very smooth paste like pap. It should be SLIGHTLY rough like ground egusi mixed with water.

Haha! Good things are happening here. Go to the pot which contains your boiled meat and/or fish and its stock. Here is my pot of stock fish AKA stocky. When you love something so much, you give it a pet name. So for the love of stock fish, I named mine stocky. In Cameroon, stock fish is locally called, "Mukanjo." Here is my pot of stocky (Oops! Looks like I already said that.)

Bring to boil then add your blended groundnuts and bring to boil. Let the aroma bless your home!

Add in crayfish and stir:

Then let the veggies go in.

Give that a good mix, let it simmer for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

Here is maggi crevette, the crayfish seasoning cube. I often add this to boost the flavour in dishes that have crayfish as an ingredient. So add in this baby and the other seasoning cubes. Taste to ensure seasoning is balanced.

Remember the left over half onion? Chop it up. Put oil to heat up in a skillet and saute the onions. Oh baby!

Add in the shrimps. Oh honey!

The shrimps are done when they turn pink. Add them to your pot of vegetable and groundnuts. Oh my!

Ndole is ready! Oh God!

Serve with boiled plantains, boiled yams or miondo. You can even eat this deliciousness with boiled rice or garri. It is goooood!

I had mine with ripe plantains. I was too impatient to let my plantains boil to perfection. That's the power of Ndole!

Notes

For a healthier version of this dish, totally omit or reduce the oil.

Please, please, please if you try this recipe do let me know. I really appreciate your feedback.

Happy cooking!pre-signature-pro

More Cameroonian Food

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    wonderful dish indeed my dear.Thanks for the recipe.will definitely try this version.May the good Lord continue to provide you with more recipes and bless your work.Your hussy is a very lucky man!cheese

    Reply

  2. Arrey Echi says

    Me ah wan me na ele that ndole and njanga 🙂

    Even a novice will get to experience and taste the dishes that make our Cameroonian cookery unique the world over. Thanks for showcasing our cuisine. That Ndole is so tempting!... Money get for add for ya repe U wise nor? lol
    Bon appetite.
    http://www.joy2endure.com

    Reply

    • Nji says

      Please which quantity of kangwa should be used?

      Reply

  3. Precious Nkeih says

    Yes!!! Glad to know you are eager to try it. A big AMEN to your prayers. Thanks for dropping a comment, dear.

    Reply

  4. Precious Nkeih says

    Hahaha ah wise! Ndole witi njanga di sweet no be small. Sis, you so... you di dassa rub manyanga for ma elbow. Tank you!

    Reply

  5. Ndikum Brun-hilda says

    Wooooowwww... wld like to contribute sth. Jst try addx sm ground white pepper abt 2 mins to end of cookx n get an excellent aroma!! Thats how i do mine. Love u so so much 4 e shrimps idea. I will definitely try this...

    Reply

  6. Ndikum Brun-hilda says

    Wonderful

    Reply

  7. Ndikum Brun-hilda says

    Awwww.... this is awesome! But will like 2 contribute sth. Just try addx sm ground white pepper2 mins to end of cooking n get n excellent aroma! Thats how i do mine. Love u so much 4 e shrimps. Will try dis version soonest

    Reply

  8. Ndikum Brun-hilda says

    Awwwww... this is awesome!!! This is one of my fav dishes. But will like to contribute sth. Jst try addx sm ground white pepper 2 mins to end of cooking n u get an excellent aroma... thats how i do mine. Love u so mch 4 e shrimps idea. I will try it dis time.

    Reply

  9. Anonymous says

    You hit it dear but reduce d oil

    Reply

  10. Precious Nkeih says

    Thanks for the white pepper tip. I'll definitely try that next time. I looove white pepper!

    Reply

  11. Precious Nkeih says

    You could totally omit the oil in yours.

    Reply

  12. Angele marie says

    Precious I got lost on my way to your house. Yummylicious ndole. I de still find my way.

    Reply

  13. Precious Nkeih says

    Hahaha I like you! Use your GPS. Turn left then you'll see one yellow mammy frying Puff Puff. My house is just behind her. There is a pile of white sand at the front yard. Now that you have the exact description, don't lose your way again oo. Lol

    Reply

  14. Angele marie says

    Hahahaha, best description ever. I dey Road.see u soon

    Reply

  15. Precious Nkeih says

    I di wait oo. Lol

    Reply

  16. queenie favoured says

    The sweet ndole dat sent me to the kitchen on Thursday evening.

    Reply

  17. Precious Nkeih says

    Hhahaha I tell you!

    Reply

  18. Diony says

    Hi Precious

    As part of my blog, I'm cooking a dish from every UN member state. Lucky for me, Cameroon was #2 on my list of countries, so I tried out your ndole, along with some fufu and boiled plantains! I can only hope I did you justice! The taste was uniquely delicious!

    Thank you so much for sharing!

    Kind regards

    Diony

    Reply

    • Claudette says

      Wow interested I tried mine and it's just the best

      Reply

  19. Precious Nkeih says

    Hi Diony,

    This makes me so happy!
    I'm glad you found our Ndole uniquely delicious.

    Thanks for the awesome feedback. I really appreciate it.

    Reply

  20. Rachel says

    Ok, so I tried this for the 2nd time1st I used spinach Which I liked but this time I used frozen bitter leaf which tasted it and it has a bitter taste, lol I know that's what it's called but should I have Cooked it longer, I need your help i'm confused. ?

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Hi Rachel, I'm not sure I understand your question well. But I would say mix the bitterleaf with spinach next time. I do that all the time whether using frozen bitterleaf or dried bitterleaf. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  21. Pasi says

    Wow waiting to prepare this for my wife on her next weekend at home hahahahahahahahaha

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Oh that's nice of you! Hope she enjoys!

      Reply

  22. Jennie says

    Hello Precious! Thank you for the recipe. I'm just about to try this now. Just wondering about the amount of spinach, are the 3 cups measured before or after blanching? Just thought my 3 cups of fresh spinach ended up being quite a small amount after blanching. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Hi Jennie, the 3 cups are after blanching. Thanks for pointing that out!

      Reply

  23. Ty says

    Hi. The shrimps and fried onions should it be added to the ndole with the oil.

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Hi Ty, yes they should.

      Reply

  24. Antoaneta says

    Good Stuff Precious 😉 Thank u it workt .Stay Bless

    Reply

    • Precious says

      You are welcome, dear. Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply

  25. Maria says

    Thank you for this recipe! I tried Ndole for the first time recently and just had to make a pot. So I doubled this recipe but it came out kind of pasty??? Maybe I did t add enough water or spinach/bitter leaf?

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Hi Maria, it could be both. You probably needed more water or vegetable. Have you watched my Ndole video? Perhaps watching me make some could help you. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/Jz-gHDnaq0o

      Reply

  26. Britney says

    Hi precious pls wats spinach locally called

    Reply

  27. Kiria says

    I made this today and let me tell you something, it was a hit! We love it. Thank you so much.

    Reply

  28. Judie Simpson says

    I tried it for the first time today but am not sure how it’s supposed to look like!!!!

    Reply

  29. Jason Vasser-Elong says

    Hello and thank you for this recipe. I traced my ancestry to Cameroon and love to cook. I wanted to try and make this dish, but I am on a plant based diet. Do you have any guidance on how to make a vegan version of this dish??

    Reply

    • Precious says

      Hi Jason, you could simply omit the meat and the crayfish to make this plant based. You could also add some sautéed mushrooms to replace the meat. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  30. Dorcas akan says

    Thanks i really enjoyed it

    Reply

    • Precious says

      You are welcome, dear.

      Reply

  31. EJ says

    I have made this recipe about 5 times. I love it! I ate this in Cameroon when I lived there for a couple of years and was so excited to be able to make it. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Precious says

      You are so welcome, EJ!

      Reply

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