Name: Eru
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Cameroon, Central Africa
Ingredients: 300 g eru leaves, finely shredded; 400 g waterleaf, roughly chopped; 150 g smoked fish, deboned and flaked; 150 g cow skin, pre-cooked and sliced; 150 ml palm oil; 30 g dried crayfish, ground; 1 tsp salt

Eru

A hearty stew of shredded eru leaves and waterleaf cooked with palm oil, smoked fish, and cow skin. A signature dish of the South-West Cameroon region.

Country

Cameroon

Region

Central Africa

Time

70 min

Serves

Level

medium

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for Family meals, ceremonies, Sunday lunch. Plan on a medium cook and about 70 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Garri (cassava granules soaked in water) or fufu corn

Regional lane

Leafy stew table. Ndole, eru, waterleaf, groundnut, smoked fish, and bitter-leaf depth.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Overcooking the greens until the color and texture collapse.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Pantry lane

bitter leaves, groundnut, eru leaves, waterleaf, palm oil

Prepare the leaves

Wash the eru leaves thoroughly. If using fresh, shred into very thin strips. Wash and roughly chop the waterleaf.

Kitchen noteEru leaves should be cut as thinly as possible — this is key to the texture.

Cook the waterleaf

Place the waterleaf in a dry pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it wilts and releases all its water, about 10 minutes. Drain off the excess liquid.

Kitchen noteWaterleaf releases a lot of water — draining it prevents a watery final dish.

Wilt waterleaf 10:00

Add palm oil and proteins

Add palm oil to the wilted waterleaf. Stir in the smoked fish, cow skin, and ground crayfish. Cook for 5 minutes to meld the flavours.

Cook proteins 05:00

Add eru leaves

Add the shredded eru leaves and stir to combine. The eru should absorb the palm oil and soften slightly. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Kitchen noteDo not add water — the dish should be dry and oily, not soupy.

Cook eru 20:00

Season and serve

Season with salt and stir. Serve hot with garri soaked in cold water or fufu corn.

Kitchen noteEru is traditionally eaten with the fingers, using garri as a scoop.

Eru

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Eru

Step-by-step method

Eru

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Eru

Step-by-step method

Cook around Eru