The Ultimate Yam Porridge Recipe

What’s your relationship with Yam? I mean is it a love, hate kind? Are you one of those “sprinkle some sugar gang” else don’t give me yam?

Well if you are, you need to stop pleassseee!!

When it comes to making Yam porridge, I have the perfect solution for you. Ain’t no sugar going up in that pot. Tag along and let me show you the secret to making the perfect Asaro.

What’s my secret?

It is adding something that is naturally sweet and healthy ( i.e sweet potatoes or ripe plantain) to balance the bland Yam taste. For the purpose of this recipe illd be using sweet potatoes.

As long as your Yam is bland and not one of those bitter nasty Yams from hell! You are good to go.

I just had a quick memory of one particular yam I bought from the Aboki close to my house.

My God! Even a drum of sugar would never have been enough to sweeten that yam.

I was making fried Yam and Egg sauce that very day and after frying the first batch of yam, I couldn’t help but sneak one or two into my mouth.

Oh! The horror! Even bitter leaf had nothing on that yam. When I told my anticipating husby that I was gonna throw it all out, he screamed (as he is a big fan of Yam and egg)

“It can’t be that bad,” he said, and threw one in his mouth.

Guess what?

He spat it right back

Ok that’s enough distraction, let’s get into this recipe.

Ingredient Line up

• Half of a Large white Yam Tuber
• Sweet potatoes (3-4) depending on potato sizes
• Freshly ground pepper mix (6 tomatoes, 2 onion bulbs , 3 Cayenne peppers(Shumbo), 3 small habenero pepper (ata rodo), One large Local red bell pepper(Tatashe)
• 1 Pepper onions (tomato paste satchet)
• Half of a small Onion bulb (diced)
• 50g of Cooked and spiced Minced meat or cut beef pieces (let’s make this Yam porridge dope and irresistible)
• Bouillion cubes
• 3/4 cup of Cooking Vegetable Oil only (no palm oil zone please, not a fan)
• 1/2 a tsp of Spices (Cayenne, Paprika)

Steps

1. Cut your yam and potato into beautiful cubes.
2. Heat some oil in a pan and throw in your sliced onions, fry till translucent
3. Squeeze in one/ two pepper onion satchet and steer for a good minute or two
4. Add in your pepper mix along with your chicken stock, bouillion cubes for taste, and spices.
5. Let your mix cook well before throwing in the Yam and potato cubes. The fluid should cover your cubes nicely so gauge well, else add more chicken stock or water as the case may be.
6. Some mins in, and it’s time for your cooked minced meat/meat cubes to make an appearance
7. It takes a bit over 30 mins for the Yam and potatoes to soften and become mash friendly
8. As soon as the yam and potatoes soften and surrounding fluid is quarter to being dried up, start mashing them with a wooden spoon or masher. The mashing would make the fluid thicker and give a slurry consistency. The degree of mashing would determine if you end up with a pot of big chunky yam porridge (some of my family members strangely dig this) or the more slurry and yummy porridge consistency
9. Some vegetable lovers throw in a bit of water leaf (Ugwu ) or Soko at this point but I am no fan of this. If it suits you, then by all means go for it. Or you could just garnish with some lettuce leaves.
10. After a few more minutes your Yam/ sweet potatoes porridge a.k.a Asaro with a twist is ready for maximum consumption.

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