Cameroon – Mpouh Fish Sauce

by Nghonazie Annabel

Mpouh fish is a creamy white flavouredful sauce with the main ingredient being fish and njansang. Mpouh is a weird name to give to such a delicious meal but because it is prepared from plantain flower which the south west people call it mpouh and the fish used, they decided to name the dish mpouh fish. Mpouh fish is eaten with boiled unripe plantains, boiled white rice, cassava, cocoyam, white yams or sometimes with mbobolo. Mpouh fish originated from the people of lebialem in the south west region of Cameroon. There is a lot of plantains in the south west region so they thought it wise to device a means by which this abundance of plantains could be used to have a wide variety of meals from it other than just using plantains as an accompaniment and with much efforts, they discovered that plantains can be dried and ground as plantains flour and in turn used to make a delicious soup. One funny aspect about this dish is that mpouh is plantain flour and it is eaten with plantain hummmmm what a wonderful dish.

Cooking method of mpouh fish sauce

The cooking method is boiling

Cooking ingredients

• 3 large sized mackerel fish
• 2 cups of plantain flour
• 1cup of njansang
• 5 contri garlics
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper or bush pepper
• 1 cup groundnut oil
• 2 hot pepper
• Maggi and salt to taste

How to prepare plantain flour

The traditional way of making plantain flour is by peeling plantains and cutting it into smaller pieces then later dry under the sun or put them on the lit of a pot each time you are cooking, this facilitates the drying process. When the plantains is dry enough use a hand machine and ground to get the plantain flour

Cooking process of mpouh fish sauce

• Blend garlics onions and hot pepper
• Use a grinding stone to ground the njansang, white pepper and bush pepper
• Wash, clean and cut mackerel fish into smaller pieces
• Mix all the ground spices into a pot including the plantains flour using about 2 liters of water
• Put this mixture on the fire and allow to boil for ten minutes
• Add the fish, Maggi and salt and stir and allow to cook for another 20 minutes
• When the consistency of the sauces is ok depending on whether you like it thick or light, add the groundnut oil and stir gently. Let it cook for 5 minutes and you put the pot down. Mpouh fish sauce is ready
• Enjoy your meal