31 - Cameroon

The Republic of Cameroon is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. Its coastline is called the Bight of Biafra, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is home to over 250 native languages and 25 million people.

Cameroon was 'discovered' by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century and became a German colony in 1884. After the first World War it was divided between Britain and France. It became independent from France in 1960 and from Britain in 1961.

The country is often called mini Africa because of its many climates; coast, desert, savannah, mountain and rainforest.

Music and dance are an integral part of celebrations, festivals, social gatherings and storytellings. The cuisine varies depending on the region but yams, maise, cassava, millet, plantain, and rice are staples. Dishes are quite hot and spiced with red sauce, pepper and Maggi - a brand of seasoning.

We decided to invite some guinea pigs  guests to share our Cambodian food adventure with us. This gave us some extra pressure to find delicious but authentic recipes. Ndole is the national dish but we couldn't find several ingredients. Instead we made Cameroon peanut soup, Poulet DG and a papaya recipe that we found on the internet and then couldn't find again - luckily I had written it down as it is very simple.

First we made the soup. All the ingredients were chopped up very small - onions, pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, a carrot and some tomatoes. 

Then they were simmered in chicken broth until soft.

Then we added a cup of peanut butter and stirred it in. Actually, the peanut butter refused to mix in - it stayed in a lump, so I had to use a stick blender to get it to combine properly.

The Poulet DG (chicken Director General) is usually served to high ranking officials - perfect for our guests! 😆 It is a one pot dish containing chicken and plantains in a tomato sauce.

We had to fry the plantains first.

They smelt a bit like bananas but were firmer and we had to use a knife to peel them.

We also used tomatoes, onion, ginger, green beans, carrots, peppers, green onions and white pepper.

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The chicken is boiled to cook it and the vegetables are added right at the end so they are still crunchy.

For obvious reasons it has been ages since we had friends visiting so it was fun getting ready.

We heated the Peanut soup through and served.

We added the vegetables to the chicken and it was ready.

The papaya desert was marinating in the fridge.

I had cut the papaya into small pieces, made honey water by combining honey and water 😁, and chopped mint, then mixed everything together. We sprinkled coconut over the top when we served it.

The Verdict.

The soup was really good, it was lovely and peanutty with a good kick from the chili.
Everyone liked the chicken except for me - or they were very polite! I really wasn't keen on the plantain, it's kind of weird. Some people had seconds!!!!
The desert was lovely and fresh, I think I would make more honey water next time and soak the chopped mint in it for a while. I also think other tropical fruits would be delicious in it.