Njama Njama: Braised Garden Huckleberry Greens from Cameroon

5 from 1 vote

Black nightshade greens simmered with onion, hot peppers, palm oil and chicken stock traditionally served with fufu and khati-khati chicken.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Cameroonian, South African

Keyword: fufu corn and njama njama, huckleberry vegetable

Servings: servings

Calories: 361kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 5

Equipment

1 3 quart pot with high sides and a lid
1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

¼ cup unrefined palm oil
4 oz onion
2 T garlic
1-2 small habanero peppers optional
1 cup tomato puree
8 oz Garden huckleberry leaves / black nightshade greens
1 cup smoked turkey stock or chicken stock
4 oz Leftover smoked chicken or turkey Roughly chopped (optional)

Fufu / Ugali (optional)

1 cup fufu flour
1.5 cups water
¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Njama Njama

Sweat the garlic in the palm oil until aromatic, then add the onions, reduce the heat to medium and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato puree or chopped tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat, or until the palm oil visibly separates from the mixture.
Add the blanched or fresh nightshade greens and the chicken stock, cover the pot and simmer until the greens are very tender and the pan is nearly dry.
At this point, a handful of cooked chicken or turkey can be added.
Taste the greens and adjust the seasoning for salt, pepper and spiciness, stirring well. Taste and repeat the process until the greens taste good to you.
Serve the njama njama with fufu, or simply as a side dish.

Fufu / Ugali

Whisk the fufu flour, water and salt in a 1 quart sauce pot.
Whisk constantly over medium high heat until it becomes too thick for the whisk.
Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and stir constantly for 5 minutes. kneading the paste and folding it over in the pan with the spoon.
Divide the fufu into half on sheets of cling film. Wrap the hot fufu, forming it into balls. Cool and refrigerate until needed. It will continue to set as it cools.

Video

Notes

Fufu from Scratch

I preferred the flavor of homemade fufu from plantain and cassava but it's definitely more work.

Ingredients

20 oz peeled yuca root, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 green plantain, cut into ½ inch slices
¾ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt

Method

Puree all ingredients in a highspeed blender until very smooth. You may need to use a food processor first. Pour the mixture into a pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly and kneading with a spatula until very thick and tacky, about 5-10 minutes. Portion into balls, cool and serve.

Nutrition