Cameroon – Fufu and Vegetable (Native Name Jamajama)

by Haman Kingah…

Vegetable and corn fufu are one of the most eaten dishes in Cameroon. A large number of people eat corn fufu and vegetable in Cameroon. It is cheap, nutritional and delicious. It is said to be the traditional meal of the Nso people, a tribe in Cameroon and the Kom people as well. This dish has several means of arriving at a delicious end result. The vegetable could be served alongside with well stewed chicken. That is tomato sauce or well steamed dry meat, fried or cooked. I will shortly explain the other short process before the other which is a little bit longer. 

This meal is said to be important to the Nso people because, they say “back then in the days of the four fathers, they moved on foot a lot and for very long distances. When that happens, they are hungry and need to refill. Eating corn fufu satisfied them and the quantity eating was also very reasonable. It was also very important to the Nso people because, corn could be harvested and stored and eating after the soil is no longer fertile to cultivate. This was usually during the dry season. The only thing you will need to do during the dry season is blowing, maybe picking, peeling and grinding. Back then, our forefathers will pound using a mortar and pestle. They will pound for a very long time. When they whites came to Africa, they came up with ideas that could ease that process. Machines. Today, grinding corn is has been made easy. 

To prepare this meal, follow guide below;

Tools

• Pot
• Wooding long stick (for preparing your corn fufu)

Ingredients

• Vegetable 
• Chicken
• Maggi 
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable or palm oil
• Onions
• Pepper 
• Tomatoes 
• Dry fish or fried fish 

Procedure 1

• Wash and put your vegetable in your pot. Turn on heat. Close pot, open after 10minutes and add;
• Your paper, palm oil, salt to taste and maggi. Close pot and allow for 5min, open and steer well. Allow for 15 minutes more, open pot and add your dry well boiled meat. 
• If you not using meat, the pot should be allowed open from this time to when is ready, which could take about 5-10min. 
• There is also a saying that, covering the pot when preparing vegetable is not advisable. It is said that, when you close the pot with vegetable, that causes the vegetable leaves to get dark and not stay green. 
• This process is also said to be the native style. 

Procedure 2

• Pick your vegetable. (selecting and removing sticks).
• Roast your chicken traditionally and fry with red palm oil, garnished with tomatoes, onions and pepper.
• Slice your onion and tomatoes
• Boil your dry fish and keep aside
• Using vegetable oil or palm oil, put in your cooking pot and heat up, fry your tomatoes and onions until translucent. Add your boiled dry fish and fry with the spices. if you not using dry fish, then your fresh fish should be the first thing you fry. 
• Add your vegetable and fry. When you see the vegetable almost dark in color not so green again, then you add your salt to taste and maggi. Add your fried fish if that is what you used instead of dry fish and stir. Add your yellow or red pepper. Turn of heat. 

• Prepare your corn fufu. Seife your corn flour. Boil water, when water is well boiled, reduce some of it and keep in another bowl or pot, then you add your sieved flour, then you stir well. if too thick, add some of the warm water you kept aside. Mix well breaking all looms and making sure the corn fufu is smooth. Add some water if to thick, cover pot and allow the corn fufu to cook. Open pot and stir and mix well. 

• Preserve the corn fufu in warmed plantain leaves or approved plastic paper

• Serve with your vegetable and chicken, then enjoy.

Good Appetite…