Yam Balls West Africa Food

YAM BALLS (WEST AFRICA)

Steps:

• Mash cooked yam until smooth.
• In bowl, combine half of the tomatoes and half of the onions. Add cayenne. Fry in 1/4 cup peanut oil.
• Season with thyme and salt, to taste.
• In another bowl, combine fried mixture, remaining onions and tomatoes, and mashed yam. Add eggs and mix well.
• On a pastry board sprinkled with flour, form yam mixture into balls.
• Heat remaining oil and deep-fry yam balls until golden brown. Drain.
• Garnish with hard-boiled eggs.

CARIBBEAN FUFU RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Carefully peel the yams; their slippery quality can make them hard to peel.
• Cut the peeled yams into 2-inch chunks and place them in a large pot of well salted water. The water should cover the yams by about 2-inches.
• Bring the yams to a boil over high heat. Keep a rapid boil until the yams are just turning soft, about 20 minutes.
• Drain the yams, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water. Allow the yams to cool.
• Place the cooled yams in a large bowl along with salt and pepper to taste, and the olive oil.
• Mash and mix the ingredients using a potato masher. The mixture will be uneven and lumpy.
• Place the fufu mixture in a food processor or blender. Pulse briefly at low speed to remove any lumps but do not puree.
• Place the yam mixture back in the bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until it becomes smooth. The mixture should become sticky and slightly elastic. It's perfectly fine to use your hands to get it to the desired texture. Add some of the reserved water, starting with 1/4 cup, and work the dough. You might need to add more water, but it depends on how moist the yams were to begin with. Keep working and adding water until you have a springy dough that comes away from the bowl, is pliable, and is easily shaped.
• Shape the fufu into balls of equal size and serve as an accompaniment to your favorite soup or stew.