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Pounded yam
Iyan: boiled white yam beaten to a smooth, stretchy swallow for soups and stews
Pounded yam, iyan in Yoruba, is the pride of Ekiti and Oyo tables, where it is still pounded in a big wooden mortar on Sundays and at celebrations, the thud of the pestle carrying down the street. Boiled white yam is beaten until it becomes a smooth, elastic, slightly sticky dough that is torn off by hand and dipped into egusi, efo riro or okra soup. At home most people now use a stand mixer or food processor instead of a mortar. It has to be true African white yam (puna yam), not orange sweet potato, which some shops label as yam. Chef's tip: pound or mix the yam while it is still very hot; as it cools the starch sets and it turns lumpy instead of stretchy.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse the cut 2 ⅝ lb white African yam (puna yam) in cold water to wash off some surface starch. Wear gloves when peeling: raw yam can make your hands itch.
Step 2: Put the yam in a pot, cover with water and boil over a medium-high heat until a knife slides into the centre of the biggest piece with no resistance.
20 minStep 3: Drain well and, working fast while it steams, put the hot yam in a mortar or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a food processor).
Step 4: Pound or mix on medium speed, adding ½ cup boiling water a spoonful at a time, until there are no lumps left and it pulls into a smooth, stretchy, slightly shiny dough. A common mistake is pouring in a lot of water at once, which makes it soft and gluey instead of stretchy.
6 minStep 5: Wet your hands and a bowl, then shape the yam into 4 smooth balls. Wrap in cling film if not serving at once, so a skin doesn't form. Serve with soup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pounded yam take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
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