This pounded yam recipe is the real deal. A beloved staple in West Africa that comes together effortlessly with a food processor. Smooth and tasty, itโs heartier but similar to mashed potatoes for the perfect accompaniment to ogbono and okro soup.
Pounded yams are traditionally made using a mortar and pestle, pounding them until soft and smooth. It takes time and energy; just thinking about it makes me tired. Good thing someone invented food processors to make our life a lot easier. Whew! ๐
Contentโฆ What Is 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 donโt 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 โ 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 โ 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 โ Remove from heat and immediately drain yams in a colander. Reserve some of the water for blending.
- Blend โ 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 โ Wrap in parchment paper (for the health-conscious) or plastic wrap. Serve with ogbono soup. (Photos 5-6)
Tips and Tricks
- If you donโt have a food processor, you can grate the boiled yams instead and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- The amount of water needed to boil yams depends on how dry they are and your preferred consistency.
- 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 Iโll be happy to share with you how to store them properly to serve for later.
- Store โ Let the prepared pounded yams cool completely and wrap them with plastic.
- Refrigerate โ You can safely store it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezer โ It will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat โ 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 itโs also good with okra stew, African okro soup, eru, and afang for a complete African experience.
More Fabulous African Recipes to Try
- African Yam Soup
- Porridge Yams
- Cornchaff
- African Beef Stew
- Ethiopian Yataklete Kilkil
- 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
Andrea says
Iโm so happy that you can share. You always make recipes simple enough for us to try. Do you have a recipe for egusi soup and how you can find some of the seasonings or ingredients to make it? I really wanna try with this pounded yam recipe
imma africanbites says
Hi, Andrea. Sure thing. Please check out this Egusi Soup. We have an African specialty store nearby where I get my ingredients. You can also check on amazon.com. I did find one back then.
Makeba Kedem-DuBose says
Where is the Egusi soup recipe that you mentioned in your reply?
Imma says
Here is the recipe for Egusi Soup https://www.africanbites.com/egusi-soup/. Let me know how it goes:)