The Global Kitchen

In our previous posting on the Global Kitchen, we gave you the recipe for vegetable yam porridge with fish. In the current posting, we continue with the yam theme. Our recipe this time is for Hot Yam Soup.

The yam is a very important crop in West Africa. Among the Igbo people, it is considered the king of crops which is traditionally cultivated by men. It has the same place in the farming communities of eastern Nigeria that cattle has among the nomadic Fulani of northern Nigeria and the Masai of East Africa. In Eastern Nigeria the harvest time for the new yam is traditionally considered the beginning of the new year. That indicates the importance of yams in the life of the farming communities. You may read more about the yam and its place in the African world in the novel March of Ages.

Whole Yam

Sliced Yams

Hot Yam Soup

For our recipe, you need the following:

Main Ingredients
(1) African Yam -- 0.5kg (makes serving for 3 adults)
(2) Palm oil -- 2ml (1 Table spoonful)
(3) Smoked Fish -- 20g (1 large or 2 small)
(4) Cray fish -- 7g (3/4 cup)
(5) Electrically dried Cod Fish -- 400g (stock fish)
(6) Onions -- 20g (One whole bulb)

Spices:
(7) Fresh or dry Hot Peppers -- 2g (6 African or Jamaican)
(8) Black Pepper -- 2mg (2 teaspoons)
(9) Uzuza leaves (5 fresh leaves)
(10) Ginger -- 4g (2 teaspoon powder or fresh)
(11) Salt -- (to taste)

The Preparation:

Cut yams into about two inch rounds and peel the skin of each round. Depending on the size of the rounds, you may cut them in half so they are approximately 18 square inches each. Wash the yam and set aside.

Peel and slice up the onion. Set aside

Mix the crayfish and hot peppers in a bender or small mortar and reduce to a paste.

Cut the stockfish (dry cod) into 3 inch lengths. Dry cod is hard so have the store keeper cut it for you with a saw before bring it home. For a three person serving use six of the cut cod.

Breakup the smoked fish into large chunks and Wash in hot (boiled) water to remove sand and other debris. Set aside.

The Cooking:

Dry Cod Fish

Dry cod can be very hard. It takes longer to cook than all the other ingredients. It is therefore necessary to precook it before proceeding.

Place the six pieces of cod in a large cooking pot. Add two cups of water, half a teaspoon of salt; two teaspoons of black pepper; cover and bring to a boil. Cook the cod for about 7 minutes or until it begins to soften. Reduce heat.

Add the crayfish-hot pepper paste to the cooking cod; add two more cups of water and stir.

Add onions and chunks of washed smoked fish to the boiling pot; add the ginger and uzuza leaves.

Finally add the yams, palm oil and two more cups of water. Stir and cover and let cook at high heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until the yams are done.

When done, turn off heat. With a fork or sieve removes yams and stock fish from hot soup.

Give the soup a good stir and ladle into soup bowl. The yams and stock fish should go into a separate serving dish (One or two pieces of fish and three pieces of yam per serving).

Bon appétit!