First, a brief digression about a supposedly poisonous plant. Black nightshade, scientifically known as Solanum nigrum, is a plant species from the genus Solanum ( nightshade ).
When I first looked into the details of these plants, I was horrified to discover that many websites classified them 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 these plants without giving it much thought. And no one has ever been 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 it's 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 Pèhn-Njapche , the national dish of the Bamun . If most Cameroonians were asked about their typical dish, this would most likely be the dish mentioned most often by the Bamun.
The leaves of black nightshade are very similar to those of spinach. However, there is a slight difference in taste. While spinach has a lighter and more delicate flavor, black nightshade has a stronger and somewhat bitter taste. It must be carefully cleaned before preparation to remove the bitter compounds and make the leaves more tender.
When a good friend gave me these delicious leaves fresh from her garden, I almost cried with joy. It had been ages since I last ate this beloved dish from my homeland. To be precise, it had been a full seven years. I set about preparing it as soon as the package arrived in the mail; I wanted to cook the precious leaves as quickly as possible and eat my fill of them.
As with many dishes, there are many different ways to prepare Njapche. I deliberately chose the traditional method according to my grandmother's recipe. This version is prepared without meat or fish, using palm oil and egusi. I like this version best, firstly because it's very easy to prepare and requires very few ingredients, and secondly because it evokes so many wonderful memories.
The whole thing as a video
Pèhn Njapche | Corn Fufu with Black Nightshade Leaves
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh black nightshade leaves (alternatively Biteku Teku or spinach)
- 100 g Egussi
- 200g fresh tomatoes
- 1 Onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons palm oil
- approx. 200 ml water
- Salt
- 1 tsp Hot & Spicy
For the fufu
- 200 g durum wheat semolina
- approx. 400 ml water
- 1 tbsp potato flour
Instructions
- Carefully remove the leaves from the black nightshade stalks, make a handful-sized bundle, and chop finely
- Place the fish in a bowl with salt and rub them together with your hands until they begin to foam. Add water, rinse, and repeat one or two more times until the foaming stops. Then squeeze out the water well and set aside
- Roughly chop the onions and tomatoes. Place the palm oil in a pot, add the chopped onions and tomatoes and the crushed garlic cloves, mix well, and sauté for about 2 minutes
- Add the cleaned leafy greens, mix well, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add a little water, cover, and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes
- While the egusi seeds are dry-grinding, mix the resulting powder with water until it forms a thick consistency. Season with a little salt, freshly ground pepper, and Hot & Spicy seasoning, and mix well. Then, scoop out small amounts of the mixture with a spoon and place them on top of the vegetables. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, mix everything together thoroughly
Fufu
- Put the water in a pot and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and gradually pour in the semolina, stirring regularly and mixing well until a good fufu consistency is achieved.
- Mix the potato flour with 3 tablespoons of cold water and add it to the fufu. Mix well, add a little more water, and continue stirring.
- Serve the finished fufu with the leafy greens and enjoy hot
