Comfort Food Stories: What does home taste like?  Poulet DG - Aurelien from Cameroon

In the second episode, Rachel meets Aurelien from Cameroon. Together, they cook “Poulet DG”, a Cameroonian dish that was once only prepared for the wealthy, but which has now become a staple in many households.

Aurelien works as a care manager in Mannheim. He began his journey to Germany at the Goethe-Institut in Cameroon, where he learnt German. In the video, he talks about his arrival in Germany, his experiences of racism during his work, and what particularly impresses him about Germany: its healthcare system and how it treats people with disabilities.

Aurelien's mum's recipe

Ingredients for four portions:

• 1 whole chicken (or drumsticks)
• 6 ripe plantains
• 3 onions
• 2 peppers (red and yellow)
• 6 tomatoes
• 4 carrots
• 100 g green beans
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 piece of ginger (approx. 3 cm)
• handful of leek
• 1 half chilli pepper (finely chopped)
• Vegetable oil (e.g. peanut oil)
• Spices: Cameroonian spice mix (‘Secret’), Rondelle, white pepper, salt and a stock cube.

Preparation
Precook the chicken:

• Cut it into pieces and simmer in water for 30–40 minutes.
• Then collect and keep the stock.
• Rub the meat with 'Secret', then fry or deep fry until golden brown.

Deep-fry the plantains:

• Peel and cut into slices approximately 1 cm wide, then deep-fry in oil until golden brown.
• Drain on kitchen paper.

Cook the tomato sauce:

• Dice the tomatoes and finely chop the ginger and garlic.
• Fry in oil, then add the onion, pepper and stock cube. Add a some of the chicken stock and let it simmer.
• Caution: Stir often to prevent burning.

Prepare the vegetables:

• Cut the leeks, carrots, beans, half a chilli pepper (depending on how hot it is), onions and peppers into slices.
• Heat the oil in a separate pan, add the sliced vegetables and a pinch of salt and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• When the vegetables are ready, add them to the pot with the tomato sauce and stir.

Mix everything:

• Fold in the chicken and plantains.
• Simmer for a further 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

 

July 2025