If you are not in Nigeria or another yam cultivating country, this dish will start with a trip to the African grocery store, they may or may rip you off with the price of the yam. While you are sourcing your yam, good quality palm is a must! I thought long and hard about the best way to give the quantity of the yam, yams are such oddly shaped tubers and come in varying sizes, a ruler was definitely going to fail so I peeled and weighed the yam! I add one ripe plantain to my yam porridge because it offers whispers of sweetness that I love, I love scent leaves (nchawu), its my favourite Nigerian herb; it belongs to the basil family and has some strong minty undertones. I prefer fresh scent leaves but must rely on the dried ones since I live abroad, still offers great flavour. There are different ways to cook the yam porridge, I grew up boiling the yam first as the recipe states, in other parts of the country, they start with the stew (and often add tomatoes); frying the onions and pepper mix in palm oil, adding the yam and water to cook the yam and then seasoning the dish along the way. If you are new to cooking yams, it is tricky because the sauce might start burning before the yam is cooked through. I like the result either way. Enjoy your yam porridge with fish/stewed or peppered goat meat/turkey wings or as your heart leads.
Yields 4 -6 portions
A hot plate of yam porridge with acceptable obstructions such as ugba and dry fish, make the heart merry. This is a delicious and balanced meal with good fibre from the yam, protein from the fish and take a chance to load up on some vegetables. Enjoy!
15 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1.2 kg yam (about ½ tuber of a big one, peeled and cubed)
- ½ - ¾ cup palm oil
- Choice of vegetable (spinach/ugu/scent leaves/kale, finely sliced and as needed, optional)
- 2 tablespoons ground crayfish
- 2 scotch bonnets (blended, or as needed)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1-2 dried fish such as catfish, mangala, asa etc (washed, deboned and torn in pieces)
- 1 ripe plantain (peeled and diced, optional)
- ½ cup ugba (fermented oil bean seed, optional, or as required)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper/tatashe (blended)
- 1.2 litres of water (or as required, completely covering the yam)
Instructions
- Wash peeled yam and set in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
- Blend scotch bonnets and bell pepper.
- When yam is almost done, add the plantains and keep cooking.
- Add salt, dry fish, crayfish and ugba (if using). Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- In a small sauce pan, heat palm oil till almost smoking, cook onions and blended hot peppers/bell peppers in the oil. Add to the pot of yam immediately and reduce to a simmer.
- Please note that the quantity of water used may not always work for you. If its old yam, it takes longer to cook. New yam is softer and requires shorter cooking time and water. If you use this quantity of water and your yam is cooked and there is too much liquid, take a few cubes of yam out, pound it and return to the pot, it will absorb the liquid. If your yam is not cooked and the pot is drying out, add more water.
- Toss in your choice of vegetables, I always combine scent leaves with spinach, ugu or kale leaves. Take off the heat immediately and serve with fried or grilled fish. Delicious!
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