Asaro: Nigerian Yam Porridge

Ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 2 pounds peeled white African yam (about 900 grams), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks; buy extra to allow for the peel
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 1 large ripe tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, half chopped and half thinly sliced
• 1/2 to 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero, stemmed; optional
• 1/3 US cup food-grade unrefined red palm oil; not palm kernel oil
• 2 US cups water (475 ml) to start, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon ground Nigerian dried crayfish, optional; contains crustacean shellfish
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon bouillon powder, optional; check salt and allergen labels
• One 5-ounce can fully cooked mackerel or salmon, drained and checked for bones, optional
• 2 loosely packed US cups washed chopped spinach, optional

Method

1. Choose food-grade white African yam labeled puna, white yam or Nigerian yam. Wash the outside before peeling. Cut a stable section on a board, remove the thick brown skin with a knife, and cut the pale flesh into chunks. Rinse well. This recipe is for true yam, not orange sweet potato or cassava.
2. Blend the bell pepper, tomato, chopped half-onion and optional hot pepper to a coarse puree, using a few tablespoons from the measured water only if needed. Use a heavy 4-quart pot with a lid, a sturdy spoon and optionally a potato masher.
3. Put the yam, pepper puree, remaining measured water, salt and optional bouillon in the pot. The combined liquid should come close to the top of the yam without drowning it. Add a little more water if needed. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the red palm oil, sliced onion and optional crayfish. Keep the oil red; it is simmered in the porridge, not heated separately to smoke. Cover and cook gently, checking and stirring near the bottom, until a fork passes easily through the largest yam pieces. Begin checking after another 10 minutes and keep cooking if firm.
5. If the pot becomes dry before the yam softens, add hot water a little at a time. Once tender, press roughly a third to half of the yam against the side of the pot with the spoon or use a masher lightly. Leave other chunks intact. Stir to blend the mashed yam into the liquid.
6. Fold in the optional canned fish and spinach. Simmer for about 3–5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the fish is thoroughly hot, stirring gently so the remaining chunks hold together. If omitting both, give the thickened porridge a brief gentle simmer.
7. Taste for salt and adjust the texture with small splashes of hot water if needed. It should be thick enough to spoon, with soft yam chunks suspended in sauce. Serve warm. Do not judge doneness from the orange color alone: every yam piece should be tender.