Pounded Yam Recipe

Content… What Is It? How to Make It Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Fabulous African Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Is Pounded Yam?

Swallows are a West African staple and often accompany stews and soups. These are soft, chewy foods with a dough-like consistency you can easily swallow even without chewing, hence the name swallow. Pounded yam fufu is one of them, along with cassava and corn fufu.

We usually eat it with our right hand, creating a small ball and pressing the dough in the center to make an indentation. This serves as a spoon to scoop out soup or stew. Oh, what a creative way to enjoy scrumptious soups such as egusi and eru.

How to Make Pounded Yam

• Peel true yams (not orange sweet potatoes) with a sharp knife, peeling away from your body (so you don’t cut yourself as I did). Carefully draw the paring knife down the side of the yam, taking care not to remove too much flesh. (Photo 1)
• Clean – Look for spoiled spots while peeling, such as bruising and discoloration. Remove them with the tip of your knife.
• Cut into large chunks, rinse immediately, and leave them in cool water until ready to cook to prevent discoloration.
• Boil – Add to a medium pot with enough water to barely cover the yams, salt to taste, and cook the yams until tender. (Photo 2)
• Drain – Remove from heat and immediately drain yams in a colander. Reserve some of the water for blending.
• Blend – Add the boiled yams to a food processor. Start pulsing in 20-30-second intervals, checking for smoothness as you go. I move the yam puree around with a spoon between pulses to ensure even blending, adding 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved water as needed to achieve the desired stretchy and soft texture. (Photos 3-4)
• Serve – Wrap in parchment paper (for the health-conscious) or plastic wrap. Serve with ogbono soup. (Photos 5-6)

Tips and Tricks

1. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the boiled yams instead and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
2. The amount of water needed to boil yams depends on how dry they are and your preferred consistency.
3. For best results, use yams harvested at least three months before.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Preparing pounded yams may take a long time, especially when you do it manually with a mortar and pestle. To save time and effort, you can make it ahead, and I’ll be happy to share with you how to store them properly to serve for later.

1. Store – Let the prepared pounded yams cool completely and wrap them with plastic.
2. Refrigerate – You can safely store it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
3. Freezer – It will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
4. Reheat – When ready to serve, thaw the fufu on the counter for about 30 minutes. Transfer the pounded yam to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on a high setting for about two minutes. Turn on the other side and heat again for two minutes. Repeat until heated through. You can also reheat it by steaming it on the stovetop.

Make-Ahead Tip: You can store sliced raw yams in a container submerged in water and covered inside the refrigerator to prevent discoloration for 24 hours. To freeze, blanch the yams, place them in a single layer in freezer-safe resealable bags, and freeze for up to 6 months.

What to Pair With Pounded Yam

Egusi soup and ogbono will always be my favorite pairings with pounded yam. But it’s also good with okra stew, African okro soup, eru, and afang for a complete African experience.

More Fabulous African Recipes to Try

1. African Yam Soup
2. Porridge Yams
3. Cornchaff
4. African Beef Stew
5. Ethiopian Yataklete Kilkil
6. Nigerian Jollof Rice

By Imma

Watch How to Make It

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This blog post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video