Cameroon – Cooking Monje Cabbage in the Mbassa Way With Boiled Ripe Plantains

by Wirba Brice Divine Ransinyuy

Cooking is actually an art which is not given to anyone or anybody anyhow. It is to those who merit it. Cabbage being cooked by the Mbassa has the taste of fried onions. It is so soft and very sweat in the mouth. In Cameroon, the Mbassas are generally known for their exquisite ways when it comes to cooking. They are very good in cooking. To have a taste of this speciality is the Monje cabbage which is being cooked with ripe plantains and very tastefull to the mouth as it is soft and cracky in the mouth. Mbassa is a village situated in the Littoral part of Cameroon beside the Wouri River which is leading to the Atlantic ocean. It is this part of Cameroon, that we are travelling to in order to explore this local cuisine.

Cooking method

The cooking method of Monje cabbage is boiling and stewingof the cabbage

Cooking ingredients

1. Half bundle of cabbage
2. Dry fish
3. Ripe plantains
4. Leeks
5. Poiro blanc
6. Three fresh tomatoes
7. One onions
8. Half glove of ginger
9. A handfull of crayfish

Seasong ingredients

1. Groundnut oil
2. Two Maggi cube
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper to add more taste to the Monje cabbage
5. Maggi crevette

Cooking process of Monje cabbage

1. Boil the dry fish, then fix it, removing the dirt from it, then placing in a clean bowl
2. Cut the cabbage into small parts
3. After cutting the cabbage into small parts, wash it using salt.
4. Wash it four to five times in order to remove all the dirt from it.
5. Place it in a clean bowl, make sure not to pour water into it
6. Wash the tomatoes and cut it into small parts
7. Wash the onions and cut it into small parts
8. Wash the poiro blanc and cut into small parts
9. Wash the leeks and cut into small parts
10. Peel off the ginger, cut into small parts, then grind it.
11. Having prepared all the spices, the onions, tomatoes, leeks, ginger, poiro blanc, place in a clean plate
12. Put a clean pot on fire, then pour in groundnut oil into the pot.
13. Wait for the groundnut oil to steam
14. When it does happen, pour in the tomatoes, the onions, the leeks, poiro blanc, ginger into the pot and stir. Allow the spices on fire for a period of two to three minutes,
15. After three minutes, throw in the cabbage into the pot and stir
16. After this, throw in the pot, the boiled dry fish, followed by the crayfish
17. Stir the pot and allow the Monje cabbage on fire for a period of five minutes adding in salt, maggi crevette and also maggi cube, then allow the food on fire for a period of five minutes.
18. After a duration of Monje cabbage for five minutes on fire, remove it and serve unto a clean plate.

See picture below the title.

Cooking process of the ripe plantains

1. Remove the peelings of the plantains
2. After removing the peelings, cut into three halves, then boil for a period of fiften minutes
3. Your ripe plantains is ready.

See picture below.

Enjoy your meal!