Yam Porridge - A Delicious and Comforting West African Dish

Yam porridge is an easy one-pot meal widely enjoyed across West Africa. Made with Puna yam (Dioscorea rotundata), peppers, tomatoes, onions, palm oil and seasoning; also known as Asaro Elepo Rede Rede or "Yam Porridge Boldly Colored With Fresh Palm Oil".

Ingredients

Yam Porridge with Plantain (Asaro Ologede) is an enjoyable, hearty meal popular throughout West Africa, which can easily be prepared and quite filling. Not to mention it makes use of overripe soft plantains! By adding plantains as a sweetening agent it balances out the savoury notes found in yam, making Asaro Ologede preferable over adding sugar directly.

Traditional yam porridge is prepared using fresh palm oil, giving the dish its characteristic orange hue. However, any cooking oil of choice can also be substituted. Furthermore, dried or smoked fish, crayfish and chicken stockfich may also be added for additional flavour and nutrition.

This recipe is easy to prepare and requires only minimal ingredients, making it a convenient one-pot meal that can be eaten any time of day. Packed full of carbohydrates for energy production and rich with antioxidants which reduce inflammation while strengthening immunity - this dish makes an excellent meal that everyone will love!

Read: Crab Nutrition Facts.

This recipe can be served alone or combined with stews such as ata din-din or African stewed spinach (efo riro). Furthermore, adding this dish to fried stews or soups like Ogbono soup or Egedu soup makes an excellent accompaniment.

Preparation

Yam porridge is an authentic Nigerian dish that combines sweet and savoury flavours of yams with vegetables and herbs for an easy one-pot meal, suitable for serving alongside any meat, fish or vegetable of your choosing. Garnish it with pumpkin leaves (ugwu) or spinach to enhance both color and taste!

Yam is a starchy tuber that originates in Africa and other tropical regions. This versatile food can be used in multiple ways for parties and events; often being filled with ground meat, seafood, chicken, crayfish or mackerel for an irresistibly filling main course; eaten alone as an appetiser or dessert!

To prepare yam porridge, start by washing and cutting up the yams into small chunks. Blend red bell pepper, scotch bonnet chilli peppers, tomatoes into a pepper mix that pairs perfectly with yams; stir this into your pot before adding salt, chicken bouillon powder, water and chicken bouillon powder as needed to reach desired consistency - including any leafy greens you plan to add at this stage - stirring thoroughly after each addition to ensure even distribution.

Cooking

This delectable meal can be prepared in just one pot! Plus, it's simple and nutritious too - with both yams and palm oil as excellent sources of energy for the body, plus anti-inflammatory compounds found within yams to reduce chronic inflammation in the body.

For this recipe, you will require white puna yams which have been peeled and cut into chunks. Once water has been added to the yams and brought to a boil, remove from heat once tender and add any optional smoked or dried fish for additional flavor.

Once mixed, add ground crayfish, pepper, stock cubes and palm oil. After stirring well, stir in some fried onions and cooked spinach before leaving the vegetables to sit for approximately five minutes before stirring again before resuming with your original mixture.

This yam porridge recipe makes an enjoyable family meal. Perfect as either an accompaniment to any main course or eaten alone for lunch and dinner, its versatility means you can tailor its ingredients, species and cooking method to make a dish tailored to your own preferences. Try serving with grilled chicken, cilantro lime chicken or air fryer turkey thighs!

Serving

No matter your taste preference - sweet, savory or plain - Nigerian yam dish is an easy and tasty meal option that's great for lunch or dinner, party appetizers or dessert. Not to mention being nutritious and filling; perfect for busy people looking to enjoy a satisfying meal without breaking their diets!

Asaro (in Yoruba language) is a delicious dish created by boiling chunks of yam in a delicious pepper mixture until soft and fluffy - it is popular among Nigerians, making a tasty use for the versatile tuber. Asaro stands out as being an easy one-pot meal requiring only yams and vegetables as its foundation; once done cooking until the yams become tender then all other ingredients can be added on top of them.

Asaro can be prepared using any type of yam you choose; the most popular variety used in Nigeria is white puna yam. While its taste resembles that of American varieties, this firmer and more flavorful variety provides superior results.

Yomas are first boiled until soft in water before being combined with peppers, tomatoes, onion and palm oil to complete this dish. You can also opt to include dried fish or crayfish.