Some nights ago, I wanted to know if I would get something like pounded yam by blending yam into a purée and stirring till it set on fire. The idea came after i uploaded a post on Plantain Fufu, I used a variety of yam that turns red when it is cut and exposed to air. I was surprised when I got black yam Fufu! I thought I had accidentally stumbled on the shortcut to Amala (Yam Flour Fufu).

I excitedly shared the post on several food groups on Facebook.  On my favourite group “So you think you can cook “, a fellow foodie, Remmy Tee jumped on it excitedly  and asked that we experiment with it further.  She suggested that we freeze the yam first to reduce the starchy content.

She conducted her experiment first and her own yam came out white! We then figured that the black Fufu I got earlier was really as a result of the variety of yam I had used. Another foodie and food blogger Dooney suggested adding plantain to see how that would affect the taste.

So i conducted 3 experiments using a variety of yam that stays white even after it has been cut and exposed to air. Yeah I ate all 3 experiments at 3 am,  God help me

Experiment 1. 

Peel and freeze yams before chopping, blending, purée  and cooking

The yam came out with a bit of an off white colour and it was less starchy than the yam I pureed without freezing.

Experiment 2.

Peel and freeze yams before chopping, then purée  with ripe plantains and cook

This one came out with a grayish hue of cream. Of the three experiments, it was the least starchy. Would I say it improved the taste? I think it is neither here now there, but the plantain taste definitely overpowered the yam though the yam to plantain ratio was 4:1.

Experiment 3.

Peel, chop ,puree and cook. 

This one came out really white, and it was the most starchy of all the 3. I liked it, though it feels like you are eating starch, it is a light meal.

Texture

For all three, it might taste mildly grainy and I’d liken the grainy texture to that of cooked semolina.

Is this something I would try more often? Most definitely. You should try it.

At the moment I don’t have the red variety of yam anymore,  but I’d conduct this experiment again with it and see what colors we would get.

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• Yam Dishes