THE YAM AND SALTED CARAMEL TART RECIPE YOU NEED TO TRY

How about this inventive way of enjoying Yam as a pudding. This recipe will get your guests talking and they’ll be surprised with how easy it is to emulate. Do share the recipe with your family and friends 😘 Enjoy and share your experience by leaving comments below.

INGREDIENTS 

250g of thinly sliced Yam (best to use a mandolin)

400ml of Coconut milk or any Milk of your choosing 

80g of butter

3 tablespoonfuls of Brown Sugar or Jaggery

SALTED CARAMEL

250ml of double cream

200g of Granulated Sugar

60ml of water

Pinch of Salt

TO SERVE 

Serve with any Ice Cream of your choosing or natural Yoghurt 

Learn how to make your own Yoghurt to serve with the Yam pudding below;

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this incredible recipe below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and share. All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

HOW TO FRY YOUR YAM CHIPS PERFECTLY - CRUNCHY and FLUFFY

Fridays are for easy to make dishes and having a bowl of your Yam Chips with your preferred protein is a must for dinner or?

INGREDIENTS 

300g of Yam cut into your preferred shape(s)

250ml of your preferred un-scented oil for frying 

120ml of water

Salt to taste

METHOD 

Watch how to fry the perfect Yam, the varied shapes and the secret to achieving a crunchy and equally fluffy Yam chips below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.

All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

YAM MEAT PIE (TURNOVER) RECIPE

Finally I have the Yam Meat Pie (Turnover) recipe including the video up on my YouTube channel, ‘Ndudu by Fafa’.

I am taking my Mum out for a quick Autumn like picnic to enjoy these beauties. 

A must try GlutenFree recipe as part of the ‘New West African Recipe’ movement. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

225g of Yam Shortcrust Pastry

30g of Corn starch 

50g of Corn flour

FILLING

250g of minced Beef

2 large sliced Onions 

5 chopped green chillies (Kasoa Pepper)

3 tablespoonfuls of your preferred oil

1 tablespoonful of smoked Paprika 

Half a teaspoon of Caraway / Aniseed 

180g of all natural yoghurt 

30g of chopped Parsley 
1 Egg Yolk

30g of chopped Spring Onions

Optional grated pinch of Nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO PREPARE YAM SHORTCRUST PASTRY 

METHOD 

Watch how to prepare this amazing gluten free pie recipe below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share. All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

STUFFED YAM RINGS RECIPE (THE AMAZING THINGS YOU CAN CREATE WITH YAM)

In the second episode of ‘The many ways to enjoy Yam’ I present this creative way of enjoying Yam and Eggs.

A perfect addition to your canapés or picnic baskets. Serve with your favourite stew, chilli sauce or protein 

To start you will need;

INGREDIENTS 

Serves 2

6 thin disc shaped sliced Yam pieces 

1 large Egg

20g of finely diced Peppers 

4 finely diced Green Chillies

1 small finely diced Onions

1 teaspoonful of Corn starch/flour

Salt to taste 

METHOD 

Watch how to create this incredible recipe below;

Don’t forget to subscribe, try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback.

All photos, recipes and videos are by the owner of this blog.

STUFFED YAM RECIPE (BEST WAY TO USE YOUR LEFTOVER YAM)

Imagine bitting into a crunchy and fluffy Yam cake stuffed with gooey Mozzarella.

 What is ‘Yam’ , you might ask?

'Yam', is a tuberous root vegetable, which is synonymous but not exclusive to Africa. There are over 600 varieties, of which 95% are cultivated in Africa. 

In parts of America and Canada 'sweet potatoes' are referred to as 'Yams' , however that's not the case , as the similarity ends with both been a tuberous root vegetable and cooked the same way; they differ in taste and texture.

INGREDIENTS

200g of boiled Yam (best to use your left over Yam)

30g of melted butter

150g of sliced Mozzarella

A pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg

1 teaspoonful of Corn starch or flour 

TO SERVE 

Be adventurous and serve this with your favourite stew including the popular Egg stew below;

METHOD

Watch how to create this amazing Yam recipe stuffed with Mozzarella below;

Don’t forget to try the recipe, leave comments with your feedback and share. All photos, videos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.

YAM & CRAB CAKES

A call from my local grocer to say he had the best Yam available, which I could use for my recipe was a welcomed distraction from a rather busy week . 
He explained 'he insisted the wholesaler  cut through some of the Yams to ensure they were the yellow 'Pona' (a type of Yam described in a previous blogpost) that I liked. 
I felt great about the care taken in selecting the best Yam and purchased few tubers.
Use Yam as you would potatoes, by frying, baking, steaming etc 

Ingredients;

Yam cake

200g boiled Yam (preferably the middle to the tail part of the Yam). 

Yam can be purchased in some supermarkets, African or Asian grocers.

Click here for how to boil your Yam. 

4 stalks of chopped Spring onions

20g of chopped coriander

1 de seeded diced red chilli

1 teaspoon of Ginger

1 teaspoon of horseradish 

Half a teaspoon of 

350g of crab meat (source from your local fishmonger)

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

YAM

Frying;

1 tablespoon of coconut oil/ Groundnut oil / Sunglower oil

Method;

Crush your Yam (the crab cake needs to have a bite, hence don't mash the mixture till smooth).

Add all the ingredients for the Yam cake to a bowl and mix well. 

Using your clean hands, mold about a tablespoon of the mixture into individual disks (as shown below).

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour. This will help the moulds hold their shape. 

Melt about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or your preferred oil in a frying pan, on a medium heat. 

Fry the cakes on a low heat for 3 minutes on each side and set aside

To serve;

Serve with your preferred green salad (Watercress, Spinach, Rocket etc)

and drizzle with either balsamic glaze or a sweet chilli sauce. 

Enjoy!

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. 

Find more inspiring recipes on my YouTube page and don't forget to subscribe. 

YAM FISH PIE

Yam is a popular tuber used in most African and Caribbean dishes. There are over 600 varieties of Yam (supposedly 95% of them are grown in Africa) and generally they have a tough brown outer later with a white or pale yellow flesh. Yams are used the same way you would potatoes and it's used in this recipe for a fish pie.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Yam Mash

300g of Yam peeled and cut into chunks 

2 tablespoons of butter

100 ml of double cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Yam

Sautéed Leek & mushrooms 

1 large finely chopped leek

1 shallot cut length ways

50g of Oyster/ Chestnut mushrooms ( optional)

Shallot and Mustard sauce

1 finely diced shallot

2 tablespoons of English mustard 

1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon of malt vinegar 

500g of mixed fish (Smoked Haddock, Cod and Salmon)

Most supermarkets stock the mixed fish.

Method 

Place your washed sliced Yam in a saucepan and add water. The water should cover the Yam completely and bring it to the boil on a medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, (insert a fork to the Yam, if it permeates without any resistance, it's done).

Sliced Yam

Drain the water from the Yam (using a colander) and leave to dry for 2 minutes. 

Pass your steamed Yam through a ricer into a bowl. 

Add the butter and cream and mix well, 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Place a frying pan on a medium heat, add the olive oil and chopped leeks

Sauté the leeks for about about a minute and add the sliced shallots. Cook for another minute, add the mushrooms (optional) and cook for another minute. 

Set aside until ready to use. 

Add the sliced shallots to the frying pan previously used. 

Sauté the shallots for 2 minutes on a medium heat and remove from the heat. 

Add the sautéed onions to your Béchamel sauce (Click here for recipe) on a medium heat.

Add the English mustard and whole grain mustard to the Béchamel sauce. 

Mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Take the sauce off the heat and add the vinegar. Quickly mix everything together and leave on the side.

To assemble

Preheat your oven to 180*c.

In a casserole bowl or a clay bowl, layer the following; 

Add your sautéed leeks, your assortment of fish and your mustard sauce.

Using a piping bag or spatula, pipe your mashed Yam over the filling making sure you cover it entirely. 

Using a fork, draw lines lightly on the surface, making sure not to break the seal, as above.

Place your pie in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes or until the surface is golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 5 minutes. 

Serve hot with your favourite steamed vegetables. Enjoy!

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

YAM SOUFFLE

'Yam', is a tuberous root vegetable, which is synonymous but not exclusive to Africa. There are over 600 varieties, of which 95% are cultivated in Africa. In parts of America and Canada 'sweet potatoes' are referred to as 'Yams' , however that's not the case , as the similarity ends with both been a tuberous root vegetable and cooked the same way; they differ in taste and texture.

'Yams' are starchier , have a tougher skin and not as sweet as 'sweet potatoes'. The skins can be peeled by ,using a knife. Care must be taken, when peeling the skin off, as the juice of the raw Yam could irritate your skin (best to use a chopping board).

 The most popular Yams in Africa, are the yellow and white ones, with my favourite being the yellow type , 'Pona' (as commonly known in Ghana).

Pounded Yam is a firm favourite of most Nigerians and it's  accompanied with Egusi (melon seeds) soup, whereby in Togo/Ghana, it's served with Chicken /Goat meat light soup. 

'Ndudu by Fafa' is about using African ingredients to create Western inspired dishes as well as offering a twist to traditional African dishes. Enjoy this French inspired dish.  

Serves 4

Ingredients;

200g of boiled Yam

2 eggs, separated

20g of chives

30g of melted butter

150ml of lukewarm full fat / semi skimmed milk

125g of grated Cheddar

100g of grated Parmesan (Optional)

Half a teaspoon of Baharat spice (A Middle Eastern spice) available in most supermarkets

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tips

You can replace the chives with spring onions.

If you don't have any fresh milk, mix 120 ml of evaporated milk and 30ml of lukewarm water instead. 

You can omit the Parmesan and increase the quality of the Cheddar by 80g. 

Try and be creative and use shredded 'Wagashi' , the West African cheese .  It won't melt, however it will add a chewy texture to the dish.  

Please omit salt, if you're using Wagashi. 

How to boil your Yam 

Using a sharp knife and a chopping board, peel the tough skin of the Yam (as shown above) to expose the flesh. 

Slice the flesh into 2cm discs as shown  above. 

Wash the Yam under cold water and place in a saucepan. 

Add enough cold water to cover the Yam (about 4 inches above).

Place the Yam on a high heat.  When it starts to boil, reduce to a medium heat. Cover with a lid and boil gently for 12-15 minutes. 

Insert a fork and if it penetrates without any restriction, your Yam is ready. 

For this recipe, I purposefully over cooked the Yam, to an almost mashy state. (Tip for a fluffier Soufflé), as Yam is denser than Potatoes.

Leave the Yam to cool down and mash into a smooth paste. 

Preparing the Yam Soufflé

Pre heat the oven to 180*c. 

Butter your ramekins or soufflé dish and set aside. 

Place the mashed Yam in a bowl, add the melted butter , chives, 2 egg yolks and cheddar cheese / Parmesan / Wagashi. Mix till well combined. (see below)

Add the lukewarm milk , a pinch of milled black peppercorn and mix well.

Add the nutmeg and Baharat spice and mix well. 

           

In a bowl , add the 2 egg whites and whisk till stiff peaks. (You can use a whisker or a fork) 

Baharat spice

Alternatively, you can use an electric whisk (for a faster process).

Add the whipped egg whites to the mixture and using a figure of eight movement, gently stir the mixture together.

Tip

Don't be tempted to mix  quickly at this stage. The whisked eggs help the mixture to rise and maintain it's fluffier texture.

'Ndudu twist'

Add a teaspoonful of a spiced tomato sauce to the base of your ramekin (optional). 

Once combined, pour your mixture into each ramekin and run your thumb around the edges (helps the soufflé achieve it's classic shape). 

Place a tray with water in your pre heated oven and then place your soufflé in the middle tray of your oven. 

Bake for 14-18 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately. 

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog. 

Watch and subscribe to my YouTube page and learn how to make this spicy tomato sauce. Why not add a tablespoon of this sauce , underneath your soufflé? This will give a surprising element to your dish. 

I wish I had access to 'Wagashi' (the West African cheese) to create more recipes. I'll keep that thought, until my next visit to Ghana. 

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3 cheese and Pistachio soufflé 

Yam Soufflé