I seem to be posting a lot of basil and parsley recipes lately. Too many healthy herbs,,,, what an interesting issue to have. This yam porridge recipe is an easy and winning one. Since I had a couple of the necessary ingredients in my kitchen, I decided to pop those into the pot along with some frozen chicken. I would have added some more greenish vegetables too but I didn't buy any.
Add water to slightly top the yam then you are as good as done, simple and easy. This yam porridge is ideal for lunch, or few portion along with your dinner. Yam belongs to the family of Dioscoreaceae and the tubers are the edible part. These perennial herbaceous tubers are mostly common in the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Although yams are edible, they ought to be cooked properly before consumption due to certain natural substances present in them, which can cause sickness if eaten uncooked. Also it is noteworthy that while preparing yam porridge or any yam dish, that you minimize contact with the yam's whitish fluid as it can cause itching and scratching of the skin. However, the quickest solution to curb the itchiness, which I knew from childhood is to quickly wash the affected parts with cold water then rub palm oil over the affected parts. The itches tend to disappear within some couple of minutes.
Different countries have different cuisines for yam but the most popular ones include roasting (ji ahuru n'oku), boiled yam (ji esiri esi), yam vegetables (ji akwukwo nri or ji abubo), fried yam (Ji eghere eghe). Each of the different methods have a distinctive taste and they all taste very palatable and delicious.
Preparing yam porridge requires peeling the yam, cutting the yam tuber into small thick pieces, then cooking the whitish fleshy starchy part with a collection of selected ingredients. In most of the West African markets and busy roads, yam are usually fried and sold as "street food" or "roadside food". This is usually garnished with some prepared chilli sauce or tomato sauce. Yam balls are prepared by cooking the yam then pounding or blending it to form a thick paste that can serve as a soup thickener or pounded yam.
Different yam recipes, different tastes!
Like I mentioned previously, this yam porridge is definitely a winner yam porridge. It is definitely colourful, yummy and delicious. It is just as perfect as I needed it to be. I liked the addition of fresh basil and parsley to add some more flavour, but you can also tweak the recipe and add whatever leaves or herbs you so delight to add or just about whatever you can think of adding. Check out the recipe below. It's simple, quick and an easy recipe to have on hand.
Ingredients:
- 1 tuber yam (peeled and cut into small pieces)
- 3 tsps. red oil or cooking oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 Chicken stock cubes
- Fresh parsley leaves
- Fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp. mixed spices
- 1 onion
- 1 ginger (blended)
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 3 mushrooms (sliced)
- 4 chicken thighs
- 2 fresh tomatoes (sliced)
Instructions:
- Wash the yam and add in a cooking pot.
- Add all the ingredients together with yam, add water to slightly cover the yam level.
- Then cover the pot and allow to cook until the chicken and yam are tender and the porridge thickened.
- Bring down from heat and serve warm garnished with few slices of fresh tomatoes with some basil and parsley leaves.
- B This method is suitable when you are using soft chicken, otherwise cook the chicken separately until done before adding into the yam.
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