I remember making this creamy white Mpuh fish sauce with my mother when I was about eight or nine. At that age my hands wanted to cook everything, so when a viewer asked for this recipe I immediately called Mama for her directions.
Me: “Mommy, I want to make Mpuh fish. How do I go about it?”
Mom: “You need njangsa—lots of njangsa. They usually make it with ground plantains but…”
She assumed I wouldn’t have access to ready-made plantain flour.
Me: “I already dried some plantains in the oven. I just need to grind them.”
Mom: “Good. Mix the plantain powder and njangsa with water and spices—bush pepper if you have it—then rub the mixture all over the fish. Make sure it gets into the fish’s head. Place it on the fire to cook. If you like, drizzle some palm or groundnut oil on top.”
She also mentioned the pudding variation: instead of cooking the mixture as a sauce, wrap it in banana leaves or foil and steam it to make a firmer pudding.
I followed my mother’s instructions closely, though I didn’t have bush pepper at home, so I used white pepper instead.
Update: Mom says Mpuh fish should be thicker than what my picture shows—there should be more fish and less sauce. Thanks, Mom!
Watch me preparing the sauce below. If you want more details about Mpuh fish, read on.
Mpuh fish (also spelled mpu or mpouh fish) is a white, flavorful sauce from Cameroon’s South West region. The main components are fish, plantain flour, and njangsa—a nutty seed that adds a distinctive taste and is commonly used in Cameroonian pepper soup. The sauce has a creamy, earthy, and slightly spicy profile and pairs beautifully with boiled plantains or rice. It’s a simple “dump-and-go” recipe that yields rich, comforting results.
Plantain flour is a key thickener. Back home we often buy it from the market or sun-dry plantains to make our own, but you can easily make plantain flour at home without sun-drying. Use unripe plantains: slice them into very thin strips and dry them in the oven on low heat (below 200°F / about 100°C) until they break easily. For me it took around two hours.
When the slices are completely cool, grind them into a fine powder using a blender cup or a coffee grinder. Plantain flour is a wholesome alternative to yam or corn flour—try plantain fufu if you’re a fufu fan.
If you’ve never tried Mpuh fish, give it a go. It’s absolutely delicious.
Mpuh Fish
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Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds fish cut into steaks (about 1–1½ kg)
- 2 unripe plantains
- 1 cup njangsa seeds, ground
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 3 small seasoning cubes (Maggi)
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper (or bush pepper)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable, canola or palm oil
Instructions
To make the plantain flour
- Cut plantain into very thin strips and place on an oven tray. Bake on very low heat (about 200°F / 100°C) until slices are dry and break easily. Flip halfway if needed.
- Allow to cool completely, then grind into a fine powder using a blender cup or coffee grinder.
To make the Mpuh fish sauce
- Blend the onion and garlic. In a large pot, combine plantain flour, ground njangsa, blended onion and garlic, white or bush pepper, salt, seasoning cubes, and three cups of water. Mix until smooth.
- Add the fish, ensuring the mixture coats all surfaces. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, checking halfway and adding water if needed to reach your desired thickness. Adjust seasoning as required. Serve warm.
To make the pudding instead
- Place the fish and spice mixture onto banana leaves or aluminum foil, wrap tightly, and set in a large pot with water reaching about halfway up the wraps. Steam for about an hour until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
Additional Info
If you make this, please tag me in a photo on Instagram @preciouscore—I’d love to see it!