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Roasted new yam with palm-oil sauce
Ji ahụ na mmanụ: Igbo roast yam with peppery palm oil and utazi for the New Yam festival
At Iri Ji, the New Yam festival held across Igboland in August, the first yams of the harvest are offered with thanks, and the chief or eldest man eats the first piece before anyone else may taste the new crop. Often that first yam is simply roasted in the embers until the skin is charred, then dipped into a sauce of red palm oil, raw onion, ground pepper and bitter utazi leaf. The inside is fluffy and sweet, the sauce rich and fiery. Chef's tip: use real West African yam, not sweet potato; it roasts dry and floury and soaks up the oil.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the yam
- 2 ¼ lb white puna yamunpeeled
For the sauce
- 6 tbsp red palm oil
- 1 red onionvery finely sliced
- 1 scotch bonnet chillifinely chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp vegetable stock powder
- 4 utazi leavesvery finely shredded (or a handful of rocket for a peppery note)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 425°F, or light a charcoal grill and let the coals burn down to glowing embers.
5 minStep 2: Scrub the 2 ¼ lb white puna yam and cut it into 5 cm thick rounds, leaving the skin on so the flesh steams inside.
5 minStep 3: Roast the rounds on a rack for 30–35 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the skin is charred in patches and a knife slides into the centre with no resistance. A common mistake is pulling it out early: underdone yam is waxy and slightly itchy on the tongue.
35 minStep 4: Meanwhile warm the 6 tbsp red palm oil gently in a small pan until just runny, then take it off the heat. Stir in the 1 red onion, 1 scotch bonnet chilli, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp vegetable stock powder and leave for a few minutes so the onion softens in the warm oil.
5 minStep 5: Stir in the 4 utazi leaves just before serving; it is very bitter, so start with half and taste.
2 minStep 6: Peel or scrape away the charred skin, cut the yam into thick slices and serve hot with the sauce to dip into or spoon over.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does roasted new yam with palm-oil sauce take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
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