HOW TO MAKE YAM PORRIDGE

Good-day everyone, happy monday to you all!

Yam Porridge
Yam porridge or asaro is a delicious Nigerian yam dish cooked in well-seasoned pepper mix. It is very quick and easy to make. Although it is referred to as Asaro elepo rederede (meaning yam porridge with a lovely red hue from palm oil) it is not a must. Vegetable oil is equally fine if that is what you have.

Ingredients
• A tuber of yam about 1kg
• 1 red bell pepper Tatashe
• 1-2 scotch bonnet chillies (Ata Rodo)
• 1 onion chopped
• A cup palm oil or use according to preference and you can substitute with vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon beef seasoning powder or stock cubes
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium size mackerel fish cleaned (substitute with dry fish or smoked fish)
• 1 cup Beef stock optional
• 2 handfuls spinach or any green vegetable

PREP THE INGREDIENTS
Peel and cut yam into chunks, rinse and cover with cold water and set aside Roughly blend red bell pepper, scotch bonnet chill and onions together with water and set aside
Boil the fish for about 5 minutes with seasoning cube, salt. Save fish broth for the porridge if you are not using beef stock. De-bone fish, flake and set aside.

• Place a small pan on medium heat, add palm oil and heat for about 2 minutes. Add chopped onions and fry till
onions are translucent. Take it off the heat and set aside. This is to be added to the yam at the tail end of the cooking.
• Place a large pan on medium heat; add yam chunks, blended pepper mixture and enough water to cover it (about
one cm above the yam or keep it at the same level), add salt, seasoning cube and bring to boil till yam is almost
tender. Reduce the heat if you have to avoid the yam burning. Add stock or water to yam in between cooking if need
be.
• Once yam is almost tender add already heated palm oil to the yam and continue to cook till yam is tender. Using a
back of a wooden ladle, break yam into pieces but not to puree, leave some yam chunks if you desire
• Stir in the flaked fish and stir together gently into the yam to avoid breaking the fish and yam more, cook for another
2-3 minutes. Finally, add chopped spinach (or any other green vegetable), fold into porridge and cook for another
2 minutes. Take it off the heat as the vegetable would continue to cook just before you serve the dish.