Hello,

I couldn’t resist posting this video! 😀 The dish is pronounced “nn-DO-lay”, and the “n” is silent. I think that this video will bring back sweet memories to those of you who already went to Cameroon (hi Edi!), while entertaining those who haven’t been to that part of Africa yet. Cameroon is located in Central Africa, by the Atlantic ocean and right above the Equatorial line.

Ndolè is one of the must-have dishes when you visit the country, one that you are sure to find on any celebration menu, at any restaurant and unmistakably in a mom’s kitchen on a Sunday, when uncles and aunts and cousins of all sizes fill the living and dining room on sunny afternoon.

When I make the recipe (in the U.S.), I simply use spinach; indeed, cassava leaves aren’t easy to find in my neighborhood. I generally do not use any meat: simply spinach, peanut butter, and a few more vegetables. The chef in the video speaks Douala, which is the name of a tribe as well as one of the +260 languages spoken in Cameroon. The English translation is to your left on the screen, the first line in blue. Hope you enjoy it. Have a wonderful weekend,

Nathalie 🙂

20 thoughts on “Friday Fun: Ndolè, a Cameroonian National Dish!”

  1. Well, I’m a sucker for cooking shows. I love the music, and the sound of the language! I didn’t get all the ingredients, but it looks yummy. 🙂

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  5. That was fun. The only thing that keeps me from rushing to the kitchen (besides a stomach full of spicy stir-fry) is the peanuts. I’ve never had much enthusiasm for cooking with peanuts. They are not my favorite food, and I can’t think with them like I can other ingredients. (Did that make sense? I blend foods in my mind in order to decide what goes into a dish.)

    But I think I could invent something using cashews and nettles. 😀

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  9. Nathalie!!!!
    I had to pull out my journal when I read this! I remember so many African and French dishes that summer! I can’t believe I didn’t write down more of what I ate. Some I remember and I’m glad I didn’t write down, other dishes are in photos. But, I did write down one special menu for our last dinner: ndole, foofoo, capitaine (I don’t remember what that is), grilled chicken, fried plantains and an avocado and tomato salad. I loved ndole! The ingredients would vary depending on what was available, but it was always serve with foofoo and was so very tasty! I’ve had someone prepare it here in the states, but I really don’t remember what leaves she used.

    Thanks for reminding me of this!

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    1. Edi!!!! 😀
      Capitaine is a fish species. Do you remember? Rather big, very tasty… We sometimes cook it in a stew with plantains, onions, tomatoes… We also like to grill it with a paste made of ginger and garlic and spices that I only remember finding in Cameroon.

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      1. Nathalie,
        What happened to Kribi after the pipeline went through? Kribi was one of my favorite places.

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  10. Sadly, Edi, I can’t answer that. That’s a question for my family back home, but I’ll make sure to ask and let you know. I’m hoping to visit Kribi whenever that will be possible, maybe next year though I wish I could go earlier. I miss the city and its beach very much.

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