Kondre

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.2 kggoat on the bone
• or 1.2 kg beef, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1stock cube

Plantain

• 8unripe green plantains
• a little oil, for your hands

The pot

• 3onions, chopped
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 5cm ginger, grated
• 4 tablespoonsoil
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2scotch bonnet chillies
• salt and black pepper

Country spices

• 2 teaspoonsnjangsa, ground
• 1pebe pod, ground
• African nutmeg
• 2country onion seeds, ground
• 1 teaspoonwhite pepper
• a few basil leaves
• or a mixture of these

To serve

• hot in bowls
• at ceremonies and gatherings

Directions

1. Cut the goat into pieces on the bone. Rinse it thoroughly in cold water. Season the meat all over with salt. It needs longer cooking to become tender. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the meat to the pot in batches. Brown it well on all of its sides. Do not crowd the pot at any point.
2. Set each batch aside as it browns. Pale meat gives a thin flat result. Take the time to do it properly. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger. Cook them for two more minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot. Cook them down for about eight minutes. Add the ground njangsa to the pot. Add the ground pebe in along with it. Add the ground country onion sparingly. Add the ground white pepper as well. Fry them into the base for two minutes. Two seeds is enough for a large pot.
4. Start with less than you think. Put the browned meat back in the pot. Add the scotch bonnet chillies whole. Crumble the stock cube into the pot. Add water to just cover the meat. Bring the pot up to a full boil. Cover the pot and let it cook. Give it about an hour and a half.
5. Cook it on if it still resists. Preparing the plantain takes a trick. Cut the ends off with a knife first. Score the skin lengthways in three places. Cut through the skin but not the flesh. Rub your hands with oil first if you can. Cut the peeled plantains into thick chunks. Aim for about four centimetres.
6. Keep them in water until you use them. That stops them browning at the cuts. Add the drained plantain to the pot. Add more water if it is not covered.
7. Cover the pot again and simmer it on. Cooking them takes about half an hour. Stir it very gently once or twice. It should go in with slight resistance. Oil should be visible at the surface. The meat should be completely tender. Tear basil leaves into the pot. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed.
8. Lift out the chillies if you want it milder. Let it stand for a good ten minutes. Serving it is done hot in bowls. Ladle it out with plenty of sauce. It needs no starch alongside it.

Technique

• The atlas tags list lamb for this dish, but goat is what is traditionally used with beef the common alternative; lamb is not the usual meat, and the recipe follows goat or beef accordingly.
• Country spices are the defining flavour: njangsa is Ricinodendron seed, oily and slightly bitter, which thickens the sauce as it cooks; pebe is Monodora myristica, African nutmeg, unrelated to true nutmeg; and country onion is Afrostyrax, smelling powerfully of garlic and onion and so strong that two seeds is enough for a large pot. There is no real substitute for their flavour, and the dish works without them but tastes different.
• Unripe green plantain is essential since it is starchy and behaves like a potato, holding its shape through long cooking; some of it breaks down and thickens the sauce naturally, so with the njangsa no flour or thickener is needed.

Substitutions

• Beef stands in for goat, though goat is the traditional meat.
• African grocers stock njangsa, pebe and country onion where they can be found.

Variations

• Whole chillies can be burst for more heat or lifted out for less.
• Some cooks add basil at the end and others leave it out.
• It is served alone as a complete meal, since the plantain is the starch.

History

A Bamileke stew of unripe plantain with goat or beef and country spices, cooked for ceremonies in the western highlands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kondre?

Kondre is a soup & stew from Cameroon: spiced plantain and goat one-pot stew from the West. A Bamileke stew of unripe plantain with goat or beef and country spices, cooked for ceremonies in the western highlands.

How long does Kondre take to make?

Kondre takes 40 minutes of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kondre?

Yes, within limits. Beef stands in for goat, though goat is the traditional meat. African grocers stock njangsa, pebe and country onion where they can be found.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kondre?

Cut the goat into pieces on the bone. Rinse it thoroughly in cold water. Season the meat all over with salt. It needs longer cooking to become tender. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the meat to the pot in batches. Brown it well on all of its sides. Do not crowd the pot at any point.