How to prepare Asaro (Yam Pottage)

The Yorubas call this meal of yam pottage Asaro and it sometimes served plain or with some sort of stew base . The Igbo call this Ji’ agwo ra’gwo. It simply means a yam that has been mixed with all kinds of other foods into a mushy or soup base.

There are various recipes for yam pottage. I am quite excited to share this one. The recipes for yam is endless. I am in awe of Nigerian foods

Ingredients

10 pieces of yam

90mls of palm oil or any oil of your choice. You may use coconut oil as a healthier option

1 maggi crayfish(any bouillon works)

1 large red bell pepper

4 plum tomatoes

2 habanero peppers or Ata-rodo

1 medium sized onion

6 tablespoons of grinded crayfish

2 cups of shredded smoked chicken(the chicken does not have to be smoked)

1 small dry fish(Eja kika)

3 or more cups of hot water or meat stock

Cooking instructions

Peel, wash and soak yam in some cold salty water for 1hour or more

Shred chicken and set aside(you may boil the chicken to soften if it is too hard)

shred and soak dry fish in warm water

Blend the tomatoes, peppers, bell peppers and half of the onion.

Boil the blended tomato mix to dry out the water or pour it through a fine mesh sieve and set aside

Heat up the Palm oil, but not to bleach. Slice in the remaining half of the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the crayfish and sauté for another 6 seconds. You do not want the crayfish to burn

Pour in the tomato and pepper mix and fry until the oil floats to the top. Stir in the Fish and chicken and cook for about a minute. Add the yam, season with the bouillon and some salt to taste and stir. Pour in about 3 or more cups of water or meat stock and stir. (If using meat stock, you may not need a lot of seasonings)

Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot tightly. Cook for about 20minutes or until yam is fairly soft. Using a wooden spoon, break the yam into bite sized pieces; making sure to mash some in the process and check for seasonings. Once you are satisfied with how thick the sauce is; remove pot from heat and serve