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Dundun (fried yam)
Dundun: thick slices of yam fried until crisp outside and fluffy inside, with a quick pepper sauce
In the evenings, Lagos street corners fill with the smell of dundun: big woks of oil, sliced white yam frying next to plantain and akara, sold by the piece in a twist of paper with a spoon of pepper sauce. Good dundun is golden and crisp outside and soft and fluffy as a baked potato inside, with a faint sweetness from the yam. At home it is a favourite Saturday breakfast or a quick supper, and children happily eat it on its own while the adults pile on the sauce. Don't fry over a very high heat: the outside browns before the middle cooks, the commonest dundun mistake. Chef's tip: soak the yam pieces in salted water for 5 minutes and pat them dry; the salt seasons them through and they fry crisper.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the yam
- 2 ¼ lb white yampuna yam, peeled and cut into 2 cm thick batons
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the pepper sauce
- 2 tomatoeschopped
- 2 scotch bonnet chilliesor habanero
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: For the sauce, blend 2 tomatoes and 2 scotch bonnet chillies coarsely. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat, add 1 onion and fry for 3 minutes, then add the blended mixture and the rest of ½ tsp salt and fry for 8–10 minutes until thick and the oil separates.
12 minStep 3: Meanwhile, heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry the yam in batches for 7–9 minutes, turning, until golden and crisp outside and a knife slides easily into the centre.
18 minStep 4: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with the pepper sauce on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dundun (fried yam) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 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.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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