Cameroon – How to cook Bandjong yellow koki beans

by Wirba Brice Divine Ransinyuy

Bandjong yellow koki beans is a food cooked during special moments in this locality. It can be soft or hard in the mouth depending on who prepares it, though generally it has to be soft and not hard. It is prepared during knock doors and the welcoming  and presentation of a new born baby. Knock door is feast being organised by the man in order to present himself to a woman’s family as future husband by asking for her hand in marriage. This occasion always take place in the evening around 9 or 10 0’clock in the night when all the family members are gathered. The meeting happens in the woman’s father or family house. On this day, the man will receive a list of things that he will have to buy and present to the woman’s family of a arranged day between the man’s family and the woman’s family. These are always special moments that are perceived as the begining of a long process of marriage between the future husband and wife. This meeting must place in the presence of the man’s family and the woman’s family completely together, no matter has to be left out as decisions have to be taken as a future one family, all together. Bandjong is a locality located in the far ends of the Western region, the region close to the North West region.

Cooking method

The cooking method of yellow koki is boiling

Ingredients

• Koki beans
• Red oil
• Yellow pepper
• Plantain leaves

Seasoning ingredients

• Salt to taste

Cooking process

1. Clean the koki beans
2. Put the koki beans in a bucket of clean water
3. Allow the koki beans in the bucket of clean water for a period of forty five to one hour
4. After one hour in water, proceed to the next level
5. Remove the peelings of the koki beans
6. Put the koki beans in a clean bucket and put in the yellow pepper.
7. Together, grind the koki beans alongside with the pepper
8. Boil red oil on fire for a period of ten minutes,
9. Warm out the plantains leaves, then wash using a sponge,
10. Using a mortar, put in the boiled red oil in the pot, followed by the grinded koki beans.
11. Mix them together using a pistle.
12. Do it till you realize the red oil has penetrated so well the koki beans
13. Put in your desired amount of salt and stir consecutively for three minutes.
14. Take then the plantains leaves and begin to fill the koki beans into them and tie with a strong small rope
15. Place your pot on fire and rub the inside of the pot with red oil
16. Put the koki beans into the pot and pour a considerate amount of water into the pot like two or three cups of water
17. Close your pot with the lid of the pot
18. From time to time, make sure to check the water in the pot and if necessary add water so as not to allow the koki on fire to get dry.
19. The maximum time the koki beans should stay on fire, should be an one hour. See below to see an example

20. After this time on fire, remove the food from fire

Koki beans is nice when it is still hot, so make sure to enjoy your koki beans when it is still hot so as to enjoy to the fullest. It could still be eaten on the leaves so keep the natural and local aspect, just like in the picture in the begining.

Enjoy your meal.