Ndole (Cameroonian Bitter Leaf and Peanut Soup)

Ingredients

• •½ pound stew beef , diced
• •Salt
• •2 tablespoons maggi (stock cube)
• •3 large onion , sliced
• •½ pound stockfish (optional)
• •2 cups shelled and peeled peanuts
• •4–5 cloves garlic
• •¾ cup ground crayfish
• •1 pound bitter leaves or spinach
• •2–3 cups oil
• •½ pound shrimp

Instructions

1. 1Season the beef in a big pot with salt, maggi, and one-third of the onions, then boil until the meat is soft.
2. 2In the meantime, boil the stockfish with salt and water, then add it to the cooked beef. From the meat and stockfish you should get roughly 3 cups. Freeze or reserve the remainder.
3. 3In a saucepan, boil the peanuts for around 10 minutes. Let it cool before pulsing or mixing it in a blender. Add to the meat and stockfish mixture.
4. 4Grind half the remaining onion and garlic to a paste, then stir into the meat and peanut mixture.
5. 5Add the crayfish, then boil it for 10 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Season with salt and maggi to taste. Later, you might need to add more.
6. 6Add spinach or bitter leaves to the soup. Stir and continue to simmer for few minutes.
7. 7Heat the oil in a frying pan while the ndole is simmering. Add the shrimp and stir continuously until they start to turn pink. Add all the remaining onions and stir again for a few more minutes.
8. 8Add the shrimp and onion mixture to the soup pot, and stir continuously for about 2 minutes
9. 9Serve hot.