Nkui spice mix
Also called: nkui spices, épices du nkui, épices pour nkui, nkui spice blend, épices bamiléké
Nkui spice mix is a traditional Bamileke blend sold for making nkui sauce. Nkui is a sauce from the West region with a slippery, stretchy texture. The texture comes from nkui bark; the flavour comes from this spice mix. It is usually eaten with corn fufu (couscous de maïs).
Lumo has one recipe that uses the mix: nkui, from the West region. The spices go in generously, because they carry the whole taste of the sauce. Without them, the bark gives you texture and little else.
The exact blend differs between sellers and families, so we won't pretend to give a fixed list here. In Cameroonian markets you can buy it as whole dried seeds and bark to grind, or already powdered. Pick a mix that is dry and smells clean, with no sign of damp. If you buy it whole, have it ground finely or use a spice grinder at home. Store it in a sealed jar somewhere cool, dry and dark. Abroad, African grocery stores that stock products from West Cameroon sometimes carry it as "nkui spices". There is no substitute; ask for the mix by name.
Recipes with this ingredient
- Nkui Ouest · 1 hr 30 min
A traditional Bamiléké dish: Nkui stems worked in warm water into a glossy, stretchy sauce with country spices, eaten by hand with soft couscous.