Chez Fadi
Cameroonian and West African cuisine reinterpreted
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West African cuisine

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chicken sauce tomatoes
sauces

Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce | Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Tomatoes. I simply can't imagine cooking permanently without tomatoes. While tomatoes aren't used in every dish, they're essential in many of my favorites. Let's start with sauces: Is it even conceivable to make peanut sauce or peperoncini without tomatoes? It's probably possible, but would they actually taste good? Let's move on to stews like Jollof Rice. Tomatoes are absolutely essential in this dish. It practically lives and breathes tomatoes, just like many other dishes. Tomatoes give them that special umami flavor that tantalizes the taste buds. I've certainly made it abundantly clear that tomato sauce holds a very high place on my list of favorite dishes. Besides, when we were little, tomato sauce was always something really special. Especially when it was…

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Griesfufu
Side dishes

Couscous Corn Semolina | Fufu made from a mixture of cornmeal and wheat semolina

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It's been a while since I last published a recipe, as I spent the last few weeks before the end of the year writing about some important spices in Cameroonian cuisine. I really enjoyed it and was delighted by all the feedback I've received from you. Now it's finally time to publish a new recipe again. To be honest, this time it was really difficult to choose a dish or recipe to write about first. Then I suddenly remembered that I'd received a lot of questions about fufu after posting the following video on my Instagram this week. That's how I decided on fufu. [See this post on Instagram: A post shared by Fadi N. (@chez.fadi) Trend food: Fufu? I need fufu…]

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ExpressJollof
stews

Express Jollof Rice & Plantains Fries| Express Jollof rice with plantains fries

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Jollof rice is the quintessential rice dish in West African cuisine. It's especially popular in Nigeria and Ghana, where both countries often argue about who makes the best jollof rice. Before I started food blogging, I knew very little about this delicious dish. Which is a real shame! I still vividly remember the moment a few years ago when I published my first jollof rice recipe. Back then, I faced my first minor backlash because, from someone's perspective, I was supposedly preparing the recipe completely wrong. However, I can't recall exactly whether this feedback came from a Nigerian or a Ghanaian. I managed to defend myself by simply ignoring it. After all, it was my own interpretation of jollof rice. My blog isn't called "Cameroonian and West African Cuisine Reinterpreted" for nothing, with the emphasis on "Reinterpreted." Since then, I've..

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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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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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