Eru is a wild vegetable from West Africa. The leaves are very nutritious, thanks to their high protein and mineral content. They are often used in sauces, soups, or stews.
Eru is also a dish whose main ingredient (who would have guessed…) is eru leaves. It's a specialty from southwestern Cameroon. The dish consists of two leafy greens typical of Cameroon: eru , also called okok waterleaf (a type of spinach). Traditionally, eru is prepared with plenty of meat and/or fish and palm oil, and served with fufu (waterfufu, garri, cassava fufu, etc.) as a side dish. Eru leaves can now be found in almost all African food products. Waterleaf is also readily available in African grocery stores. However, if you don't have waterleaf on hand, you can substitute it with spinach.
Originally from the southwest, Eru has now become established throughout Cameroon. It's also a very popular dish in the diaspora, especially at celebrations and special occasions. Incidentally, I ate my first Eru at just such a special occasion here in Germany. That was 20 years ago, at a baby shower. I was thrilled then, and I still am today whenever I eat Eru.
Eru is definitely a delicious affair.
Ingredients
300g Eru leaves,
300g frozen spinach leaves,
300g beef
, 300g ready-to-cook cowhide,
1-2 Scotch bonnet
steaks, 50g dried crayfish (Madjanga)
, 300ml palm oil,
3 tbsp Magic Sauce (for the meat)
, 1 tsp Magic Sauce
salt
The meat (beef and cowhide) must first be pre-cooked in a pot with water, salt, and 2 tablespoons of Magic Sauce. I start with the cowhide because it's tougher, and about halfway through the cooking time, I add the pieces of beef. You can also use tripe. Some people use fish and meat. It's entirely up to you.
I always simmer my eru leaves in boiling water for about 3 minutes beforehand. Then I strain them through a sieve and rinse them with cold water before using them. For me, this is a way of cleaning them, in case the leaves weren't clean enough beforehand. It also reduces the cooking time somewhat. Many people skip this step.
The spinach leaves don't need to be precooked, as they are naturally quite soft. This gives the Eru a more delicate texture.
I'm generally very careful when cooking with oil. Traditionally, Eru is prepared with a lot of raw palm oil. The motto is "Eru must swim." It tastes absolutely delicious!
When I prepare them myself, I try not to use too much of that delicious palm oil. For the sake of my figure????.
However, those who don't want to forgo the full enjoyment can certainly use more palm oil.
The whole thing as a video
Et voilà! Bon appétit!
Eru - Cameroonian leafy greens
Ingredients
- 300 g Eru leaves (ready to cook)
- 300g frozen leaf spinach
- 300g beef
- 300 g cowhide (ready for cooking)
- 1-2 dried crabs (Madjanga)
- 300 ml palm oil
- 50 g Scotch bonnet
- 3 tablespoons of Magic Sauce (for the meat)
- 1 tsp Magic Sauce
- Salt
Instructions
Pre-cook meat
- First, clean the ready-to-cook cowhide
- Place in a saucepan (pressure cooker, if available) with water, salt and 3 tablespoons of Magic Sauce (or alternatively, stock cubes)
- Clean the beef in the meantime and cut it into pieces
- Halfway through the cooking time, add the pieces of meat and continue cooking until both – the cowhide and the beef – are tender
The preparation
- Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add the eru leaves for about 3 minutes
- Then pass through a sieve and rinse with cold water.
- Squeeze the water well out of the Eru and set it aside
- Place the pre-cooked meat in a pot with some cooking broth and the spinach
- Mix everything well, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the spinach has thawed
- Then add more. Simmer for another 2 minutes until the spinach is soft
- Then add the Eru leaves and mix well.
- Add the fresh Scotch Bonnet cheese, mix well, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly
- Meanwhile, roast the crayfish in a pan for about minutes
- Then add the Eru, mix well and simmer for another 2 minutes
- Now add the palm oil, mix well and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring constantly
- Add 1 teaspoon of Magic Sauce, season to taste, and simmer for about 2 more minutes. Done!
