| COUNTRY | CAMEROON |
| Dishes | Poulet de General |
| Time | 1 hour |
| Effort | 6/10 |
| Rough cost | £6 |
| COUNTRY | CAMEROON |
| Capital | Yaounde |
| Population | 26,545,864 (51st largest) |
| Land mass | 475,442 km2 (53rd largest) |
| Languages | French + English (official), 250 native languages |
| Religions | 70% Christian |
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Cameroon is a Central African country, bordered by 6 other countries and a beautiful coastline. Given to France following WWI, Cameroon then became independent in 1960. It is referred to as “Africa in miniature” as its cultural and natural landscape is so diverse.
Its cuisine features a lot of the staples of African cooking; plantain, maize, cassava, yams and groundnuts. We went for a classic dish – Poulet DG! The dish Poulet de General is so named as it used to exclusively be served to the upper classes in Cameroon. Chicken and plantain were very special ingredients in those times, making this dish a real treat. However, due to the expense, meat in general still remains an ingredient for special occasions, meaning Poulet DG still is a right old celebration meal! YUM.
RECIPES
Poulet de General (DG)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large ripe plantains
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 whole chicken
- 8 medium tomatoes, blended
- 1 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 4 seasoning cubes
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions
- 8 stems parsley
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 handful green beans
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 habanero (hot) pepper
METHOD
- Step one – make the spice blend! Combine the garlic, ginger, celery, parsley, hot pepper and half the onion in a blender. Add in half a cup of water and blend to a paste.
- Wash your chicken well, pat it dry then cut it up. Place chicken slices in a pot. Add in 3/4 of the spice blend, half a teaspoon of salt, 2 seasoning cubes, half of the pepper and a cup of water. Cover and let it cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
- While its cooking, put oil in another pot and heat on medium. Cut plantain into circles and deep fry until golden brown.
- When chicken is done, remove from stock and place on a prepared on an oiled + foiled baking tray. Put it in the oven at 200 degrees C to grill for about 15 minutes.
- Take the plantain pan and remove most of the oil to keep for another time. Now place the remaining oil in a pot, on medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, put in all the remaining onions in to saute them. Then add in the tomatoes, stirring occasionally for 5 mins.
- Add in the rest of the spice blend and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then add in chicken stock, remaining seasoning cubes and white pepper. Stir well and let them simmer together for two minutes.
- Add in chicken and stir. Add in fried plantains, then stir well too. Finally, add in all the rest of the chopped vegetables and give it a good mix. You can some tablespoons of water, if it looks too dry but make sure the plantain do not get too mushy. Heat everything for two minutes and then turn off the hob.
- Serve hot with a spoon for the broth and enjoy!
Merci Beaucoup and see you in the motherland – CANADA! M + B x
