Pilé is a simple and very tasty dish from western Cameroon, more precisely from the Bamiléké tribe. It is mashed potatoes with beans (red or black) enriched with palm oil and dried shrimp, the latter being optional.
In Loum, where I grew up, most of my neighbors came from the West, so they were Bamiléké. The neighbors often invited each other over for meals and always enjoyed cooking specialties from their respective regions. Some of our neighbors brought many delicious dishes, some of which were completely new to me, including Pilé. My passion for cooking often led me to ask for the recipe or, even better, to watch my neighbors prepare the dishes. Pilé is one of the results of this curiosity, and I'm happy to share my dear neighbor's recipe with you today. I'm sure she wouldn't mind.
Have fun cooking!
Ingredients
1 kg potatoes (preferably waxy)
400 g cooked red beans (e.g., canned kidney beans)
1 small onion
Majanga – dried shrimp (from an African shop)
200 ml red palm oil
Salt
Pepper
1 fresh allspice/chili pepper
A little water
Pilé - mashed potatoes with red beans
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes (preferably waxy)
- 400g cooked red beans (e.g. canned kidney beans)
- 1 small onion
- 20 g Majanga – dried shrimp ((from Afroshop))
- 200 ml red palm oil
- pepper
- 1 fresh chili pepper or habanero or Scotch bonnet
- Salt
- some water
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut them into small pieces and bring them to a boil in water with a pinch of salt.
- Meanwhile, prepare the beans and set them aside.
- Cut onions
- Briefly grill the dried shrimp in a pan for about 2 minutes and set aside
- Place the palm oil in a saucepan and sauté briefly with onion, salt, and chili pepper
- Remove the chili pepper
- Add the cooked potatoes and mix well
- Add grilled shrimp and pepper and mix well
- Mash into a puree using a whisk or potato masher
- Add the beans and mix well
- Taste and add more salt if needed. Done
