Cameroon – How to cook Epudi leaves

by Joella Eve

Epudi is the name of a flower which means brightness in the Bakassi land. The meal is well appreciated by the people of this locality in that it brings join to their village. A Bakassi man can eat this food every day for a week consecutively without getting tired of eating the food. For them, when you eat this food, you enter into a spiritual welfare with the gods of their land. The food has moved from one generation to the next. Though there might be slight changes in the meal, which is concerning the items used to prepare the food, the main item which are Epudi leaves remain intact since it is what constitutes mainly the food. With Epudi leaves, you can cook any other meal. Saying this, means that Epudi leaves symbolizes an entire culture that brings brightness to the people of Bakassi. How to cook Epudi leaves comes from the village of Bakassi in Cameroon. Bakassi is a village situated around the coastal areas which is a region very rich in mineral resources.

Cooking Method

Epudi leaves is first and foremost prepared by boiling, then stewing comes second.

Cooking Items

The cooking items used in cooking Epudi leaves come as follows:

1. A bunch of Epudi leaves
2. Three cups of Ekussi seeds
3. Half kilo of pork
4. Tomatoes
5. Onions

Seasoning Items

The seasoning items used in giving taste to Epudi leaves food come as follows:

1. One teaspoon of salt
2. Three Maggi
3. One maggi crevette
4. Groundnut oil

Cooking process

Having gathered all the necessary items to be used in preparing this local cuisine and most importantly the Epudi leaves, it is good to move straightforward to the cooking of this local cuisine.

1. Unfold the bundle of the Epudi leaves
2. Cut the Epudi leaves into small halves
3. When cutting, remove the good ones from the bad ones. Make sure not to forget this, of not you will see yourself eating bad or rotten Epudi leaves which will not be delicious at all in your mouth.
4. Wash then the epudi leaves for two to four times.
5. Boil now the Epudi leaves
6. Boil the Epudi leaves for twenty minutes.
7. Grind the Ekussi seeds. When grinding, it should be grinded dry and not wet. So dot put water into the grinding machine.
8. Wash the pork and cut into smaller parts.
9. After cutting into smaller parts, boil the meat for about one hour or one hour thirty minutes.
10. Wash the tomatoes and slice into small parts
11. Wash the onions and slice into small parts
12. Grind the onions and tomatoes
13. Pour groundnut oil into the pot.
14. Pour the tomatoes and onions into the pot
15. Allow for like two minutes
16. What should follow into the pot should be the boiled pork meat.
17. Stir the pot very well
18. After this is the Epudi leaves, then the maggi and a little bit of salt.
19. Pour a cup of water.
20. After ten minutes, pour half cup of water into the food on fire.
21. Close the pot and wait for 15 minutes.
22. After each 5 minutes, check to see whether all is okay. If water is lacking, pour small water into the pot. Also taste to make sure that the taste of the food is Okay.
23. When all is sufficient and the food is ready, remove from fire.

Enjoy your meal which is the symbol of the Bakassi people