Cameroonian · main

Ndole

Ndole reads umami 8.3, salinity 5.1 and richness 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cameroonian main, about 3 hr 18 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 9.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 2.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 3.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.3 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.3 · Salinity 5.1 · Richness 5.1 · Marine & Briny 4.4 · Nutty 4.0 · Bitterness 3.4 · Allium 3.4 · Heat 3.4 · Sweetness 1.9 · Fruity 1.7 · Earthy 1.6 · Floral 0.8 · Warm Spice 0.7 · Sourness 0.7 · Herbaceous 0.5

What's in it (15)

• bitterleaf — 500 g
• water — 3000 g
• coarse salt — 30 g
• peanuts — 400 g
• stewing beef — 700 g
• stockfish — 300 g
• prawns — 300 g
• onions — 220 g
• garlic — 18 g
• crayfish — 60 g
• scotch bonnet chillies — 200 g
• peanut oil — 166 g
• bouillon — 200 g
• salt — 10 g
• beef stock — 750 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 18 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 62.3 kcal, 5.1 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 2.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Leach the bitterleaf first: rub the shredded leaves hard between your palms under running water, then boil them in salted water for 15 minutes, drain, and repeat the boil twice more with fresh salted water. Three boils is normal. This step is the dish - bitterleaf is genuinely bitter, and no other green substitutes for it, but unleached it is inedible. Squeeze dry and set aside.
2. Boil the peanuts 15 minutes until soft, drain, and blend with a little water to a smooth thick paste.
3. In a separate pot, boil the beef with half the onions for 60 minutes until tender, then lift out the meat and keep 750 ml of the stock.
4. Put the peanut paste in a wide pot with the reserved stock and simmer 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until it thickens and the raw taste goes.
5. Add the ground crayfish and the flaked stockfish and simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in the leached bitterleaf and the cooked beef and simmer 20 minutes over low heat.
7. Meanwhile heat the groundnut oil in a pan and fry the remaining onions with the garlic and scotch bonnet 6 minutes.
8. Add the prawns to that pan and cook 4 minutes, just until pink.
9. Tip the whole fried pan, oil included, into the ndole. Season with the stock cubes and salt and simmer 10 minutes more. Serve with fried ripe plantain or bobolo.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Ogbono Soup (Draw Soup) — Nigerian
• Matapa — Mozambican
• Jollof Rice with Chicken and Shito — Ghanaian
• Amiwo (Spiced Cornmeal with Fried Chicken) — Beninese
• Shrimp and Okra Purloo — Southern · Lowcountry

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.