Cameroonian Red Beans (with Smoked Fish & Crayfish)
In Cameroon, stewed red beans are eaten at all times of the day — not just for breakfast, but also for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
For the Beans
- 2 cups dry red beans
- Water enough to cover
- 1 tsp salt
- For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp onion chopped
- 1 tbsp celery chopped
- 1 small piece of ginger about 1 tsp grated
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 small leek white part only
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp tomato about 1 small tomato, chopped
- 1 tbsp chili pepper or less, to taste
- 1 tbsp green bell pepper chopped
- 1 tbsp salt and black pepper to taste
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 oz about 50 g dried crayfish
- 3.5 oz about 100 g smoked fish (optional)
Instructions
Cook the beans
- Rinse and cook the red beans in plenty of water. Add salt and let them simmer until soft and tender. Set aside.
Start the sauce base
- In a pan, heat the oil and fry the chopped onion and celery for about 3 minutes.
Prepare the spice mix
- In a blender, crush together the tomato, basil, chili pepper, and leek until you get a slightly coarse paste.
Add the tomato mix
- Pour the blended mixture into the pan with the onions and celery. Add a pinch of salt and stir well.
Add the crayfish and smoked fish
- Mix in the crushed crayfish and smoked fish (if using). Let everything cook together for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
Add garlic and ginger
- After 10 minutes, add the crushed garlic and grated ginger. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes so the flavors blend well.
Combine with the cooked beans
- Add the cooked red beans to the sauce, mix everything gently, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- (You can add a small stock cube here if you like — optional.)
Add green bell peppers
- Stir in the chopped green peppers, mix well, and continue cooking for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
- Check seasoning
- Taste and adjust salt or pepper if needed.
- It’s ready!
- Serve hot with rice, puff puff, or both — just like we do back home 😋
Notes
🌾 Tips
For a richer flavor, let the beans rest a few minutes before serving — the sauce thickens naturally.
This dish keeps well in the fridge for 2–3 days and tastes even better reheated.