A generous ndolé, just bitter enough, bound by a dense, fragrant peanut sauce. The melting beef, shrimp, and fried plantains keep the Cameroonian spirit of the dish while remaining doable with ingredients found in France.
Ingredients
- 700 g frozen ndolé leaves or bitter spinach
- 160 g unsweetened peanut butter
- 250 g raw peeled shrimp
- 350 g stewing beef, such as chuck or flat iron
- 2 pieces yellow onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 20 g fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp ground dried crayfish
- 1 piece habanero chili or mild fresh chili
- 3 tbsp neutral oil for the sauce
- 700 ml water
- to taste fine salt
- to taste ground black pepper
- 3 pieces ripe plantains
- 500 ml neutral oil for frying
Method
- Rinse the ndolé leaves, then blanch them in a large pot of simmering water until the bitterness mellows and the leaves become supple, about ten minutes. Drain, squeeze firmly between your hands, then roughly chop.
- Place the beef in a pot with water, salt, pepper, and a little sliced onion. Simmer covered until the meat almost falls apart under a fork and the broth is full-flavored, about forty-five minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend the remaining onion with the garlic and ginger to a moist, aromatic paste. Heat the sauce oil in a Dutch oven, then sauté this paste until it loses its raw smell and begins to stick slightly to the bottom.
- Loosen the peanut butter with a ladle of hot beef cooking broth, whisking until you have a fluid, lump-free cream. Pour into the Dutch oven and cook gently until the sauce thickens, becomes satiny, and a light film of oil rises to the surface.
- Add the beef with its broth, the ground dried crayfish, and the whole chili. Simmer over low heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, is fragrant, and well bound; remove the chili earlier if its flavor becomes quite present.
- Fold in the chopped leaves and mix thoroughly to coat them in the peanut sauce. Continue cooking until the ndolé is dense, dark green, and almost candied, without being dry.
- Add the shrimp at the end of cooking and simmer just until they turn pink, firm, and juicy. Taste, adjust the salt, and loosen with a little hot water if the sauce becomes too compact.
- Cut the ripe plantains on a bias, then fry them in the hot oil until golden, tender in the center, and caramelized on the edges. Drain on paper towels and salt very lightly.
- Serve the ndolé piping hot, with the shrimp visible, the beef coated in sauce, and the fried plantains on the side. The texture should be rich and enveloping, but still supple enough to serve easily.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 810.2 kcal
- Protein
- 54.38 g
- Carbohydrate
- 26.81 g
- Fat
- 57.89 g
- Fibre
- 12.21 g
- Calcium
- 61.13 mg
- Iron
- 2.34 mg
- Magnesium
- 36.53 mg
