Cameroon – Akum Beans

by Wirba Brice Divine Ransinyuy

Akum is a locality located in the Northwest region of Cameroon, precisely in the Meme division. The Northwest region is among the ten regions of Cameroon with inhabitants mostly of English speaking origin and with a less dense population as opposed to the other regions of Cameroon. It is a locality surrounded of trees and green life, that is mainly made of green life vegetation with hills and clips all over the place. Moreso, it has rather a cold temperature and climate throughout the year, from the 1 of January to the 31 of December making the whole area constantly green and fresh. Today our point of focus is on the Akum beans and its preparation. As known, beans is a food known for its high proficiency in proteins which is very good and necessary for the welfare and wellbeing of the human system in general. In the next paragraphs, I shall talk more about the preparation of the Akum beans, its ingredients and how to cook in the best of ways.

INGREDIENTS

• Four cups of raw beans
• One full cup of groundnut oil
• A hand full of celeri
• A hand full of percil
• Maggi to taste
• Salt to taste
• Three carrots
• Three big tomatoes
• A glove of garlics
• A glove of ginger
• One big size onion

PREPARATION METHOD

• To begin with, start by cleaning the beans in order to remove all the dirt from it. Depending on you, you could first put the beans in a bowl full of water in order to soften it after cleaning it thoroughly. Doing this, will soften the beans and it will get ready faster when on fire or still, after cleaning it, just place it on a fire for it to start boiling. Depending on the method you choose to do, looking at the first method, it will take you a period of thirty minutes for the beans to get boiled and be ready, on the second, it will take a duration of one hour for the beans to boil and become ready. When the beans is ready, remove it from fire.
• After boiling the beans, it is time to wash the celeri, percil, tomatoes, onions, ginger. When you are done washing, slice them to desired size, as concerning the ginger and garlic, peel them off diligently and slice them into small pieces. After doing this, grind them all together in a molinex apart from the carrot that you don’t grind.
• After this, comeback to the beans, remove the boiled beans from the pot and wash it very well. After washing it, put it in a drainer for it to drain well.
• Coming at this level, put the groundnut on fire in clean pot. When the oil start to become hot, put the grinded tomatoes, onions, celeri, percil, ginger and garlic into the hot groundnut oil and stir for about ten seconds, then allow for about one minute.
• The next thing you have to do is to put the boiled beans in the pot and stir.  Now add salt and maggi as desired, though a little will be enough. After add two or three cups of water depending the size of the cup. Two cups of water of 300ml will be enough. After this, add the chopped carrots in the pot.
• Allow on fire for five to ten minutes. When about five minutes, check your food. When ready, remove from fire, serve in a plat.It can be eaten either cold or hot depending on each individual.

NB : Akum beans can be eaten empty or with a complementary like cassava, plantains, rice, cocoa and cocoyams. All these complementaries must be boiled and ready befor eating Akum beans.

ENJOY YOUR MEAL !!!