Cameroon – Black Soup With Kum Kum

by Wirba Brice Divine Ransinyuy

Black soup with Kum Kum is a local cuisine being preprared solely during official occasions. Such special occasion is the case of mariages. In this case, inhabitants or people originating from Akum prepare the black soup with Kum Kum during marital ceremonies such as welcoming the groom into the bride’s family. In this culture, this is often done during traditional weddings where the groom’s family prepare a special meal like the black soup with Kum Kum in order to welcome the groom into her family. Most often, the food is being cooked by the bride herself. In Akum, this tradition and culture is as significant as the mariage in churh, known as the ultimate mariage. The black soup has the taste of burnt plantains. The black soup with kum kum is local cuisine coming from the Akum locality, in Cameroon.

Cooking method

The cooking method being used hereis that of frying and mixing up.

Cooking ingredients

• Black leaves
• A sachet of Black powder
• Four fresh tomatoes
• One big fresh onions
• A hand full of celeri
• Four stems of percil
• Leeks
• Green pepper
• White pepper
• Kum Kum flour

Seasoning ingredients

• Groundnut oil
• Magii cube
• Maggi crevette
• Maggi arome

Cooking process

1. Clean your black leaves
2. Chop it into very small sizes using a sharp knife
3. Wash the tomatoes and slice to be very small, then grind
4. Wash the onions, then grind it along with the tomatoes.
5. Wash the celeri and the percil, then grind also. Grind the percil and the celeri separately from the tomatoes and the onions
6. Put groundnut oil on fire in a clean pot
7. Throw in the grinded ingredients. Make sure not to wait for the oil to begin to steam before you throw in the ingredients. Immediately after putting oil on fire, throw in the ingredients also.
8. Wait for a moment like five minutes for the ingredients on fire to start steaming. When you notice it is the case, throw in the chopped black leaves into the steaming pot.
9. Wait for like five minutes
10. After five minutes, loosen the sachet and pour in the powder into the pot.
11. Stir the food on fire diligently.
12. Put in salt and maggi, maggi crevette, maggi cube and maggi arome.
13. Stir the food on fire once more.
14. Using a cup of water, throw into the pot.
15. Close your pot for like 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to check the food on fire from time to time.
16. After a stay of like 15 or 20 minutes on fire, your food is ready.

The next thing to cook now is the Kum Kum

1. Put water on fire, half pot water is sufficient
2. Let the water boil for a period of thirty minutes.
3. After thirty minutes on fire, throw in the kum kum flour and begin to turn using  a stick.
4. Turn till the kum kum becomes strong.
5. When turning, from time to time, add in a small water.
6. You will have to turn the food on fire for a duration of 20 minutes, turning after a sequence of five minutes each and closing the pot.
7. After doing this last procedure, your kum kum fufu is ready.

Serve the black soupa long with the kum kum fufu and enjoy.

Enjoy this local cuisine.