Potato Porridge (Pottage): A Nigerian Meal

Potato porridge is a root vegetable dish prepared using different specie of potatoes. It is a very colorful and nutritious meal with a lot of health and nutritional benefits.

This porridge food is a typical Nigerian dish featuring some of our local and native condiments such as crayfish and palm-oil.

The meal is relatively cheap, rich in nutrients, and can make a delicious treat for you and your baby.

Porridge can be made from food crops especially the tuber crops (water yam, yam, plantain, cocoyam, and potato).

There was this story in the bible of using porridge to take another man’s birth-right.

That goes to show that porridge is an appetizing and delicious food when it is well prepared.

Health Benefits of Potato Porridge

Potatoes are edible tubers, available globally and all year long.

• The potato’s low calorie, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6 content, coupled with its lack of cholesterol, all support heart health.
• Potatoes contain huge amounts of fiber. Fiber helps lower the total amount of cholesterol in the blood, thus lessening the risk of heart disease
• Potatoes are rich in carotenoids like beta carotene and other carotenoids, which assist to strengthen our eyesight and enhance our immunity to disease.
• Potatoes also contain Iron which helps blood cell production.

Recipe – Sweet Potato Porridge Nigerian

Potato is versatile – you can cook it in different ways. Just like plantain, you can fry, boil, grill, smash and even use potato as a pudding or cook as porridge.

This delicious sweet potato recipe is perfect for cold weather; its comfort food and you can enjoy it at any time of the day.

The good news is that you only need a few ingredients to make it tasty since it’s already sweet naturally.

Ingredients

• Potatoes (Irish, sweet or russet) – desirable quantity
• Palm oil
• Crayfish (ground)
• Onion
• Salt to taste
• Crayfish stock cubes
• Fish (Optional)
• Pepper
• A handful of chopped Vegetables – ugwu leaves, scent leaf, spinach or any other dark green vegetable of your choice

Method of Preparation

1. Firstly, wash and peel the potato skin then cut the potato into small-size cubes and rinse.
2. Secondly, put the chopped potatoes in a pot and pour water to cover them slightly.
3. Thirdly, add your oil, pepper, and diced onions, add your fish or crayfish.
4. Also, crush and sprinkle seasoning cubes on top of the ingredients, then add salt to taste
5. After that, cover the pot and allow cooking for about 20 minutes or until the potato becomes very soft.
6. Then, turn down the heat; the pottage should be thicker at this point.
7. Add your vegetables and some water if necessary. Stir with a wooden spoon.
8. Lastly, cover the pot and allow simmering on low heat for about a minute and your food is ready to serve.

Serve hot