Pounded Yam | How to Pound Yam from Scratch

Pounded yam is one of the many yam recipes in Nigeria that is eaten with varieties of Nigerian soups. I like it best when it is served with egusi soup.

Yam is in the class of roots and tubers that are a staple of the Nigerian and West African diet. Consuming yam offers some 200 calories of energy per person daily.

Nigeria is one of the world’s producers of yam so it is cheaper here than in other the country.

Origin of Pounded Yam

Pounded yam is a sticky dough made by pressing and kneading cooked yam traditionally.

It is known as iyan in Nigeria, foutou in Ivory Coast, fufu in Togo and Benin, and yam fufu in Ghana, and is undoubtedly the most popular traditional yam culinary product in West Africa.

What Is Pounded Yam? Pounding Yam Meaning?

Pounded yam is a famous African dish that is similar to mashed potatoes but has a higher fat content. The texture of the pounded yam is silky and delicious.

This yummy swallow dish is made by pounding boiled yam in a mortar using a pestle until it becomes smooth, fluffy, and firm.

This swallow is the stretchiest of all the Nigerian fufu recipes that is if it is well put together.

It has the suppleness of semolina fufu but not as firm as cassava fufu. Pounded yam nutrition is high in carbohydrates and calories.

Ponded Yam Recipe

How to Pound Yam from Scratch Using Raw White Yams

Ingredients

• Tubers of white yam
• Mortar & Pestle
• Water

Method

1. Firstly, peel off the brown outer layer of the yam, slice,, and wash the white part with lots of clean water. Transfer into a cooking pot and add enough water to cover the yams.
2. Then, cook for twenty to thirty minutes checking occasionally to see if the yams are soft enough for pounding.
3. After that, pierce the yams using a fork. Once done, transfer into mortar while still hot. Leave little water because you will need it while pounding the yam.
4. Finally, pick with a fork and transfer into a mortar and pound with a pestle, pound until the yams are seedless and can easily be molded. Add water and pound until you have a smooth soft pounded yam.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Not really. Though pounded yam is a staple Nigerian meal, truth is that nothing beats original. But the stress and energy of pounding can sometimes act as a hindrance.

Below are 3 alternative methods that can work around the process of pounding yam. You can make pounded yams without actually pounding the yams, without mortar. Yes! Using a machine

1. How to make Pounded Yam with a Blender-Here We Have 2 Methods:

1^ST Method

• Boil the yam till it is soft, and then mash the soft yam and blend till you achieve a smooth, firm, stretchy ball-shaped solid using a pounded yam machine or a blender. This method also works for cocoyam (ede ofe).

2^ND Method

• First, put fresh yams cut in cubes in a blender, add some water and blend till a smooth puree is formed.
• Then, pour the puree into a clean pot and place it on medium heat. Keep stirring the mixture with a wooden spatula till it thickens, which is about 5 minutes- 10 minutes.
• When it is thick enough, scrape the yam from the sides of the pot, leaving most of it in the middle.
• After that, add a small cup of water around the pot and cover to steam, and cook for 10-15 minutes, as you would when cooking semolina. Check from time to time to avoid burning.
• Finally, when the water is dry, mix well with the spatula and turn off the heat.
• Simple and stress-free isn’t it? Serve with any soup of your choice and enjoy.

2. Use a Hand Mixer

Thus, if you do not have a blender or food processor at home, you can use your hand mixer.

Like using a blender, boil the yam till it’s soft. Put it into the mixing bowl. With the hand mixer, crush the yam until it becomes smooth, stretchy,, and lump-free.

3. Use Pounded Yam Flour

Like Eba, Semolina, Amala, Starch,, and the likes that require heating water and then pouring the flour in the boiling water as you mix properly, pounded yam can also be prepared in the same manner using poundo yam flour. It is very lucrative that’s why many Nigerian are into poundo yam business.