NDOH
A Tribute to Our Mother Mama Bia Magdalene Etongwe
A Legacy Worth Emulating
NJOMI MAMI
Preserving Authentic Cameroonian Cuisines Across Generations
Dear Mother,
If words and tears could bring back to life the departed, then you will still be amongst us doing one of the things you loved to do for your children. You will be cooking Ekwang, Eru, Pepper Sauce, Fish Rolls, Mberembi e.t.c Mami, you spoiled your children with good food.
You made sure we sat next to you in the kitchen as you passed down traditional recipes and cooking techniques and trained us to become good cooks like you. As we grew older beside you in the kitchen, each of us mastered one of your recipes which we recreated as our signature dish during our annual Christmas party in Magdaville.
Mami, we dedicate this special episode to you as we carry on your culinary legacy in Keng’s Kitchen. We are at Papa Nange and Eta (your daughter in Love who has now taken the role of Mrs. Etongwe) for the filming. Curry is teaching us how to cook Ndoh. Annie and Lucy are here also to learn. At every step of the recipe we felt your presence in the kitchen. We knew you were right there with us. One day, we will pass down this recipe to the younger generation of the Magdaville girls. The food was delicious; we ate and ate knowing that mami cooked for us.
Njomi Mami You are forever in our hearts.
Some of the Magdaville Girls
Click play on the video below to cook along with me or scroll past the video to follow the written instructions.
Dish: Ndoh
Country : Cameroon
Geographic Location : Ndian Division, Southwest Region
Ethnic Group : Oroko
Diaspora Connection : Oroko Cultural Association
N D O H C O O K I N G I N S T R U C T I O N
Ingredients for Ndoh
a. 10 Unripe Plantains
b. 1 Bunch Fresh Bitter leave or 2.2Ibs of Frozen Bitter leaves
c. 1Ib Washed Snails
d. 3 Tablespoon Ground Country Onion
e. 3 Large Habanero Peppers
f. 1 Cup Crayfish
g. 1 ½ Cups Palm Oil
h. Bouillon or Maggi to taste
i. Salt to taste
Ingredients for Ndoh
How to Cook the Plantains
Wash and peel the green plantains thoroughly and cut each plantains into two pieces
Place the plantains into a pot, add water so it is at the same level of the plantains.
Place the pot on stove and cook on medium heat until the plantains is soft. Turn off the stove and set the pot aside.
How to Cook the Ndoh
Pluck the bitter leaves from the stem and wash thoroughly to remove debris.
Shred the bitter leaves with hands and rinse through with water and set aside in a bowl
3. Add the crayfish, salt, maggi, and country onion, mix well so all the ingredients get combine into the bitter leaves then set the bowl aside for a latter use.
Note: Traditionally, there are two methods of cooking Ndoh. The uncooked and the cooked method. After mixing the above ingredients in the bitter leaves, the Ndoh is served and eaten with the cooked plantains.
Go to step 4 for the cooked method.
4. Pour the snails into into pot, add the habanero pepper and 1cup of water and cook it on low heat until when the snails are about 75% done.
5. Add the bitter leaves from step 3 into the pot and the palm oil. Mix well for all the ingredients to combine and cook on medium to high heat while constantly steering so the bitter leaves does not burn.
6. Allow the pot to cook for an additional 10 minutes on medium to high heat while constantly steering then turn off the stove.
Note: Do not cover the pot when cooking the bitter leaves at this stage. Covering the pot will over cook the bitter leaves causing it to reduce the crunchy texture. More so, it will cause the bitter leaves to have a black color.
7. Serve the Ndoh on the plate with the cooked plantains with a favorite drink on the side and enjoy the finger licking experience. Ndoh has mild bitter taste that comes from the bitter leaves and a residual sweet taste combined with indigenous spices. These flavors together with your favorite drink will teleport you to the Oroko land in the Southwest Region of Cameroon.
Left: Cooked Ndoh Served with Plantains
Right: the Uncooked Ndoh Served with Plantains
