Ndolé
Non-vegetarian
Cameroon's best-known stew: washed bitter leaves simmered in a creamy sauce of ground peanuts with beef and prawns, finished with a generous splash of fried-onion oil.
Ndolé is a Cameroonian stew, ready in about 2 hours and made with bitter leaf and peanuts. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 636
Method
Step 1
Blend the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and the first onion (opens in a new tab) with a splash of water. Put the beef in a pot with half this paste, 1 tsp salt and the water, and simmer until tender.
- 60 min
- medium-low heat
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
Step 2
Meanwhile boil the peanuts (opens in a new tab) in water for 15 minutes, drain and blend with fresh water to a smooth, thick cream.
- 20 min
- medium-high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
Step 3
Stir the peanut (opens in a new tab) cream into the beef and its broth with the rest of the paste. Simmer gently, stirring often so it does not catch, until it thickens and no longer tastes raw.
- 20 min
- low heat
If it splits or looks grainy, a little more water and gentle stirring will bring it back.
Step 4
Squeeze the bitter leaves dry, fold them into the pot with the prawns (opens in a new tab) and the remaining salt and cook until the prawns are just pink.
- 8 min
- low heat
Food safety: Cook prawns until opaque all the way through.
Step 5
Fry the sliced onion (opens in a new tab) in the oil until golden, then pour the hot onion oil over the stew just before serving. Serve with plantains (opens in a new tab) and chilli on the side.
- 8 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Littoral (Douala), Cameroon · Well documentedWidely regarded as a national dish; most strongly associated with the Duala people of the coast.More food from Cameroon
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Boiled, Simmered, Stewed
- Taste
- bitter, nutty, savoury, rich
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · High-proteinWith the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein - Good for
- Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Peanuts · Beef chuck · Prawns / shrimp · Onion · Garlic · Fresh ginger
Allergens
- Contains: Crustaceansfrom prawns / shrimp
- Contains: Peanutsfrom peanuts
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
636 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 488 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 25%
- Carbohydrate 11%
- Fat 64%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 636 kcal | 130 kcal |
| Protein | 42.6 g | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 17.6 g | 3.6 g |
| Net carbohydrate | — | — |
| Sugars | — | — |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | — | — |
| Fat | 47.5 g | 9.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 6.2 g | 1.3 g |
| Trans fat | 0.3 g | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 120 mg | 25 mg |
| Sodium | 728 mg | 149 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.8 g | 0.4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 1024 mg
- Calcium
- 308 mg
- Iron
- 4.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 148 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- —
- Vitamin C
- —
- Vitamin D
- —
- Vitamin B12
- —
- Folate (DFE)
- —
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: fresh red chilli, plantain.
- Bitter leaf: Raw collard greens (FDC 170406) used as a stand-in for washed bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina); USDA has no entry for it.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Fresh bitter leaf must be rubbed and rinsed in several changes of water until only a pleasant bitterness remains; frozen washed ndolé saves this step.
Common mistakes
- Boiling the peanut sauce hard — it sticks and scorches quickly.
Serve with
- Serve with boiled or fried ripe plantains, miondo or bobolo (fermented cassava sticks), or rice.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge; freezes well for up to 2 months.
Reheating
- Reheat gently with a splash of water, stirring.
Variations
- Fish ndolé: Replace the beef with smoked fish added in the last 15 minutes.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Bitter leaf, washed several times and squeezed, or frozen ready-washed500 g
- Peanuts, raw, skinned300 g
- Beef chuck, cut in 3 cm cubes500 g
- Prawns / shrimp, peeled250 g
- Fresh red chilli (optional)1 piece · 6 g
- Plantain (optional)4 piece · 720 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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