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Sekai Gohan

Pounded Yam (Igname Pilée): Beninese White Yam Boiled and Pounded Smooth

Servings 4 servings

A smooth round mound of pounded yam on a table with a small bowl of peanut sauce beside it
Steps with photos

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
White yam (igname), African white yam 2¼ lb (1 kg) The whole dish: starch that pounds into a stretchy dough
Salt (sel) To taste Light seasoning in the cooking water
Water (eau) Enough to cover the yam For boiling; keep a little of it after draining

Steps

  1. 1Peel the yam and cut it into large chunks

    Set the yam on a cutting board and remove all of the rough brown skin with a knife or peeler, so only pale flesh remains. Cut it into large chunks of similar size so they cook evenly. Collect the peels in a bowl as you go to keep the board clear. You are ready when every chunk is clean and pale, with no patches of skin left.

  2. 2Boil until a fork slides through

    Put the chunks in a large pot, pour in water until they are covered, and add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. Cut size and variety change the time, so test the chunks rather than trusting the clock. Push a fork into the thickest piece. It is done when the fork goes in with no resistance and the centre is tender all the way through.

    Cook yam all the way through

    Never eat yam raw or underdone. Boil every chunk until it is tender to the centre before you drain and pound. If any piece still resists the fork, keep it boiling.

  3. 3Drain and return the yam to the pot

    Before draining, scoop a little of the hot cooking water into a small cup and set it near your mortar. Pour the yam into a colander in the sink and let the water run off. Tip the drained chunks back into the empty pot, or straight into the mortar, without letting them sit and cool. Pound it while it is still hot.

  4. 4Pound while hot until smooth and stretchy

    Pound the hot yam with a pestle in the mortar, or work it hard against the side of the pot with a sturdy wooden spoon. At first it breaks into crumbs. Keep going, folding the mass over now and then, until it comes together. If it sticks badly to the pestle or spoon, add a little of the reserved water and keep working. It is finished when the dough is completely smooth, with no lumps, and stretches as you lift the pestle.

    Hot dough and a moving mortar

    The yam is very hot, so keep your hands out of the mortar while you pound. Set the mortar on a stable, non-slip surface so it cannot slide or tip with each stroke.

    Add water a little at a time

    Add the reserved cooking water only when the dough sticks, and only a little at a time. Too much water makes the dough slack and loose instead of springy.

  5. 5Shape into rounds and serve warm

    Wet your hands with a little water so the dough does not stick. Divide the pounded yam and shape each portion into a smooth round ball on a plate. Bring it to the table straight away with warm sauce or stew. A good round has a glossy surface and holds its shape on the plate while it is still warm.