Cameroon – Corn and Beans (Cornchaff)

by Nghonazie Annabel

Cornchaff which is a mixture of corn and beans is a meal very common in almost all the parts of Cameroon. In those days when our grandparents wanted to visit women who just put to birth, they will always cook cornchaff and carry it along as they believe that it is very nutritive and good for the production of breast milk. This is to say when breast feeding mothers eat cornchaff often, it stimulates the mammary glands for the production of breast milk which makes the milk flow well and much. Cornchaff is also prepared and sold in schools especially primary and secondary schools during break. They usually sell it so cheap so much such that with a hundred France or even fifty France, one can get a plate of cornchaff and eat bellyful. Cornchaff is either prepared locally where just corn, beans, palm oil and tomatoes is used as well as prepared in the modern way where other spices are used including smoke fish and canda.

Cooking method

Cooking method for cornchaff is boiling and stewing.

Cooking ingredients

• Five cups of corn
• 4 cups of beans
• A liter of red oil
• Smoked fish
• Canda
• Tomatoes and onions
• Ground Country onions
• Green spices
• Crayfish
• Gallics and nginja
• Maggie and salt

Cooking process

• Select corn and take to a grinding meal and peel off the skin
• Boil the corn and when its half way ready wash beans and add to it
• Slice tomatoes and onions and keep aside
• Grind gallics, nginja, green spices and keep
• Wash canda and remove the bones from the smoked fish and keep
• When the corn and beans is ready remove and rinse with clean water
• Put palm oil in the pot and allow to get hot but not bleached
• Add sliced tomatoes and onions and stir until its ready
• When the tomatoes and onions is cooked, put the mixture of corn and beans and stir well
• Add the ground spices, ground country onions , crayfish and mix well
• After wards add smoked fish and canda, put Maggi and salt
• Put two cups of water and allow to bubble for like 20-30 minutes
• Within this time constantly check the level of water and stir regularly to make sure it doesn’t get dry. If the water gets dry and the cornchaff starts burning, it will change the aroma of the delicious meal
• When the mixture must have cooked very well and water level balances with the oil, put the pot down
• Remove and save in a plate and eat it semi hot

Make sure you enjoy this delicious meal and don’t forget to drink a glass of chilled juice and water.