Enjoy the very healthy Cameroonian Eru soup this beautiful morning
The green dish is made using Gnetum africanum (Okazi) – an evergreen vine that grows wild in the forests of Central and West Africa.
Mostly popular among the Bayangis, a tribe in the southwest province of Cameroon, Eru soup is a flavoured and finger-licking goodness loaded with protein and aromatics.
Quite similar to Afang soup, Eru soup is a highly nutritious meal and can be served with fufu or any of your favourite starchy sides.
Cooking time
1 hr 15 minutes
Recipe category
Main Dish
Recipe cuisine
Cameroonian Dish
Cooking method
Boiling
Recipe Yield
7 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds meat (beef, tripe, cow skin, smoked turkey)
1 1/2 pounds dried fish
¼ chopped onion
2-4 cups palm oil
1/2 cup ground crayfish
5-6 cups Dried chopped Ukazi
2 pounds of frozen spinach
2 Maggi/Bouillon
Salt and pepper
Scotch bonnet pepper
Instructions
- Cut the beef in bite size chunks, season with salt, Maggi, and onions and cook until tender. Do the same with cow skin ( they are tough so they take a longer time to to get soft) in a . Use very little water while cooking the meat because eru does not need a lot of water . However, make sure you have at least 2 to 3 cups of stock from the beef. to use in cooking this dish.
- While the meat is cooking soak the dried Okazi/Eru leaves in hot water in a bowl to tenderize the leaves for approximately 10- 15 minutes. Rinse and drain.
- Add the assorted meats – beef, cow skin, tripe a dried fish/ turkey to a large stock pot with at least 2 cups of stock. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Drain the frozen spinach and add to the pot of assorted meat and fish. Add crayfish and 2 tablespoon bouillon/ Maggi at this point stir, let it cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.
- Add shredded Ukazi/Eru leaves, and red oil. Stir again thoroughly making sure all the contents in the pot blend together. Simmer for another 10 minutes, add stock / water if needed . The fragrant smell that erupts from the dish lets you know it is time to eat.
- Season to taste with salt and more Maggi as needed.
Your Eru soup is ready! Serve with fufu.