Chez Fadi
Cameroonian and West African cuisine reinterpreted
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Cameroonian recipes

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bissap
drinks

Infusion au Bissap | African mallow tea

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Autumn is also the season for hot drinks, and it has undoubtedly arrived, with all its good and not-so-good sides. There are quite a few good things about autumn, though. Nature transforms, the leaves on the trees glow in typical autumnal red and gold hues. Combined with the sun, this transformation creates something truly magical. Pumpkins and other autumnal fruits are harvested… Unfortunately, the other, less pleasant aspects of autumn are also part of the experience. These include shorter days and gloomy fog that barely lets the sun through. It's more than understandable that this can trigger a mild depression in some, the so-called autumn blues. Colds and flu-like infections are also common. Fortunately, there are ways to combat these negative aspects of autumn. I have a few comforting drinks that really help me chase away the autumn blues…

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avocado salad
Veggie

Salade d'avocat aux graines de grenade| Avocado salad with pomegranate seeds

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Avocado used to be one of my top five favorite fruits. In Cameroon, avocados are most often used as a delicious topping for bread or sandwiches. Another very popular way to enjoy them is as an accompaniment to various side dishes like steamed cassava, yams, or bobolo—very tasty. Avocado salad, on the other hand, used to be something rather special and rare for me. This mainly happened when avocados were plentiful. This was usually the case during the main harvest seasons, which run from February to May and from July to September. During these times, avocado prices are quite low, and they were practically everywhere. What did you already know about avocados? The avocado (Persea americana Mill., also Persea gratissima CFGaertn.) is a plant species from the laurel family (Lauraceae). Botanically speaking, the fruit is a berry. Avocados originated in the tropical rainforests of Central Africa and Mexico. Cameroon is one of the largest producers of avocados in Central Africa, with around 120,000…

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appetizer

Pili au Thon | Filled dumplings with tuna filling

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I put off making this recipe for a long time. Why? The answer is simple: I hate working with flour. Except when making beignets, of course, because that dough always turns out perfectly for me… well, almost always. That's also why I bake so rarely. Unfortunately, I only manage to bake cakes very rarely. Even when I use a cake mix, something can still go wrong. Therefore, I kept putting off this recipe from my childhood, which was originally at the very top of my "To Publish" list. But now to the dish itself. What exactly are pili? Pili, or meat pie (with a meat filling) in Cameroon, also known as Fataya in Senegal and called pastels in French, are filled pastries made from shortcrust pastry – and that's precisely MY problem: pastry, which is very common in West Africa. Pili…

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pepesoup
Fish dishes

Pèpè Soup royal | Pangasius and king prawns pepper soup

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This week has unfortunately made it abundantly clear that we must slowly but surely say goodbye to summer. This is evident not only in the shorter days, but also in the temperatures, which are no longer as high as they were a few weeks ago. Especially in the mornings and evenings, you can immediately tell that autumn is approaching. I was often so cold this week that I had to put on extra socks. To get you in the mood for the inevitable arrival of the colder season, I've unearthed this delicious recipe for you, which I've made many times before. Pepè Soup is a very flavorful and slightly spicy soup/sauce from West African cuisine. And a spicy soup is just what we need for the beginning of autumn. In Cameroon, Pepè Soup is often cooked with fish, specifically pangasius/catfish. I've posted a few different recipes here before, each time…

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bobolo
Side dishes

Bobolo fait maison | Homemade bobolo/cassava bread

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Bobolo and Miondo (thinner versions of Bobolo), also known as cassava bread, are among the most popular side dishes in West African cuisine, along with fufu and plantains. Both terms refer to a dough made from fermented cassava wrapped in rush or banana leaves. Bobolo can be found throughout West Africa, sometimes under other names, such as chikwangue. It is a popular accompaniment to all sorts of dishes, like meat, ndolè, koki, and so on. Making Bobolo yourself is a lot of work. When I still lived at home, we made it once or twice. After that, we never bothered again. We had seriously underestimated the effort involved. If you're not familiar with this craft, it's really no fun, because making Bobolo is a lengthy process. First, the fresh cassava tubers are peeled, washed, and then cut into pieces. Then they are covered with plenty of water and left to soak for about…

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spaghetti camerounese
Main course

Spaghetti Camerounese | Spaghetti with tomato sauce, Cameroonian style

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Spaghetti is especially popular with children. At least, that's what I've observed, both here in Germany and in other European countries I've visited. In my home country of Cameroon, spaghetti is always a hit, too. A few days ago, I visited one of my friends. She's German with Hungarian roots, and like me, she's a passionate cook. She pulled out some cookbooks from her collection, and we chatted about different dishes. We also talked at length about our home countries. During this conversation, so many childhood memories came flooding back, memories I hadn't even thought about in a long time. Since she'd been wanting to show me how easy it is to make homemade pasta, we actually did it about half an hour later and made fresh spaghetti together. It was a wonderful experience, and I started to…

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sea ​​bream
from the oven

Oven-grilled sea bream with roasted vegetables and potatoes

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Have I ever mentioned how much I love fish? Well, I'll gladly repeat it: Yes, I absolutely love eating fish. I prefer to eat it whole, head, tail, fins, and bones included. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to cook fish myself lately. Perhaps it's simply because I ate so much fish and seafood during my last vacation, and I felt a bit satiated for a few weeks. A few days ago, my husband came home from his weekly grocery shopping and brought these magnificent whole sea bream. And lo and behold, my craving for fish was back! I knew immediately what I wanted to make with them. What I wasn't quite sure about yet was what side dish to serve. After all, on a hot summer day, you don't necessarily want to spend a lot of time in…

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Njapche
Leafy greens

Pèhn-Njapche | Fufu with Black Nightshade Leaf Sauce

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First, a brief digression about a supposedly poisonous plant. Black nightshade, scientifically known as Solanum nigrum, is a species of plant from the nightshade genus (Solanum). When I first delved into the details of this plant, I was horrified to discover that many websites classified it as poisonous or even highly poisonous. I could only shake my head at this, because for as long as I can remember, we in Cameroon have always consumed this plant without giving it much thought. No one ever got poisoned! In Cameroon, this plant is known by many names as a leafy vegetable. Among others, it's called Njama-Njama or Légumes du village (village vegetables) and is very popular with almost everyone. One of the best-known names among my people, the Bamun, is Njapche. This delicacy is almost always served with Pèhn (corn fufu), and this combination creates the famous…

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Eid al-Adha
from the oven

Simple lamb recipe for the Feast of Sacrifice

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Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, is the most important festival for Muslims and is comparable to Christmas for Christians. Behind this three-day festival lie a few rituals and traditions that I would like to share with you. For as long as I can remember, every family that can afford it has sacrificed at least one of their own lambs for Eid al-Adha. Days or even weeks beforehand, the animal is purchased and well-fed and cared for in the days leading up to the sacrifice. The day before the festival, it is washed and given fresh food again. This all sounds somewhat gruesome, but these animals generally had a very good life beforehand, as they often came from small-scale farmers and therefore had plenty of space to roam and fresh food. On Eid al-Adha, after the Eid prayer, it is slaughtered by a qualified person. During the slaughter, the head of the family, or the person in whose household…

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tomato sauce
sauces

Meatballs in tomato sauce

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A wonderful Eid al-Adha to all Muslims worldwide! Tomato sauce is a favorite with almost everyone. A few days ago, while chatting with an acquaintance, he mentioned how special tomato sauce with meat used to be for him. This reminded me that I felt the same way. As a child, I always associated tomato sauce with special occasions, such as today's Eid al-Adha. Tomato sauce with chicken and rice or spaghetti was often served on holidays. On other days, we enjoyed all sorts of sauces, like Egusi (pistachio sauce), Mafé (arachides sauce), Okra (gombo sauce), and so on. But tomato sauce was always our favorite among us children. Then I came to Germany, and everything changed. Tomato sauce and chicken was often one of the few sauces we knew from home that could also be made cheaply in Germany. Back then…

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