Pounded Yam
Boiled white yam pounded until smooth, stretchy and glossy, the classic Nigerian partner to egusi and other soups.
The Method for Pounded Yam
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Put the yam, salt and water in a pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 25 minutes until completely tender. Drain, keeping some of the water.
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While hot, blend the yam in 2 batches in a food processor with the hot cooking water until a smooth dough forms.
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Process for 1 to 2 minutes more until stretchy. Add a little more hot water if it is stiff.
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With wet hands, shape into 4 smooth balls and serve at once.
What Can Go Wrong
- Work with the yam while it is hot.
- Add water a spoonful at a time.
- Use yam flour as a shortcut: mix with boiling water and stir.
Good to Know About Pounded Yam
Does pounded yam need a mortar? Traditionally, yes, a wooden mortar and a pestle used with a rhythm, but in a modern kitchen a food processor or a stand mixer with a dough hook does the same work in minutes. The result is smooth, stretchy and slightly sticky, with no lumps.
The yam matters. Use white yam (the rough, brown, bark-skinned tuber from African grocers), not the orange sweet potato sold as yam in the US. Peel it thickly, cut into slabs, and boil in plain water for 25 minutes, until a knife slides through it with no resistance. Drain well, and pound or blend it while it is still hot. Cold yam turns hard and will not become smooth.
Put the hot yam in a food processor in batches, with a spoonful of the cooking water, and pulse until a smooth dough forms. Then process for 1 to 2 minutes until the mass becomes stretchy and pulls away from the sides. If it is too stiff, add a spoonful of hot water. If it is too sticky, add a little more yam.
Shape into balls with wet hands, wrap in cling film for a moment to make them smooth, and serve with egusi soup or okra.
On the Table Alongside
Egusi soup · Efo riro · Okra soup · Ogbono soup
Keeping Pounded Yam
Best eaten at once. Keeps wrapped in the fridge for 1 day; reheat in a microwave with a splash of water.
Pounded Yam Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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