While filming this Eru recipe a few mishaps happened:
- A part of my blouse that wasn’t meant to show peeked out during the intro.
- My wig decided to reveal its age.
- I started the shoot with both earrings and finished with only one.
If you notice me wearing a single earring toward the end of the video, it’s not intentional—its partner fell and wouldn’t stay on.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, I’m thrilled to share one of my favourite dishes. I’ve probably cooked this Eru recipe thousands of times. It’s incredibly delicious and a firm family favourite. Eru is a forest plant scientifically known as Gnetum africanum. In Nigeria it’s called okazi or ukazi, and in some Central African countries it’s known as koko.
Eru can be prepared several ways—simmered with groundnut, cooked with waterleaf or with spinach. The most popular Cameroonian version uses Eru with waterleaf. This dish comes from the Manyu people of Cameroon’s South West region. The Manyu share cultural and culinary similarities with people from Cross River and Akwa Ibom in Nigeria, which is why Eru resembles Nigerian Afang soup and Edika Ikong. If you like, think of it as where Afang and Edika meet.
I love adding smoked meat to Eru; it’s divine in this dish.
It’s hard to classify Eru strictly as a salad, a vegetable, or a soup. It’s typically served with a starchy side such as garri or water fufu (similar to akpu), both made from cassava.
The flavour of Eru is distinct and earthy—you really need to try it to understand. In earlier days I posted a full written recipe titled “The Best Eru Recipe Ever”; that version goes into more detail if you want a deeper dive.
When I cook Eru I prefer to make the vegetables tender so they blend smoothly with fufu in the mouth. Below you can watch the video and see the process (and the earring incident).
Eru
Ingredients
- 8 cups dry eru/okazi (packed) or 5 cups fresh (about 250 g)
- 10 cups chopped waterleaf or spinach (about 280 g) — use less if using fresh eru
- 1½ cups crayfish, lightly blended
- 1½ cups palm oil (about 325 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds (about 1 kg) mixed boiled meat with a cup of stock (I used beef, beef skin and tripe)
- ½ pound fish (I used stock fish and smoked catfish)
- 4 small seasoning cubes (Maggi)
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers, blended or whole (optional)
Instructions
- If using dried eru/okazi, soak it in warm water for at least 30 minutes. You may add a pinch of baking soda (about 1/2–1 teaspoon) to brighten the colour and soften the leaves—this step is optional.
- Place the boiled meat and stock in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and reduce until the stock is nearly gone (about 5–7 minutes).
- Add the spinach or waterleaf and cook for 5 minutes until it wilts and releases liquid. Stir and cook for another 4–5 minutes—avoid letting the leaves turn brown.
- Rinse the soaked eru thoroughly and add it to the pot. Mix until the two vegetables are well combined. Pour in the palm oil and stir. Simmer together for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the seasoning cubes, pepper (if using), crayfish and fish. Mix well and cook for about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. The eru should be moist but not watery; add a splash of water or oil if it’s too dry, or cook a bit longer if it’s too wet.
- Turn off the heat and serve warm with fufu, garri, or your preferred starchy side.