Nigerian Yam Pancake

It is the new yam season and many towns especially in the Eastern part of Nigeria would have or may be celebrating the new yam festival and pounded yam is the favourite for new yam. A lot of people may be put off eating yam in other ways for a while because it does not have the sweet taste of the old yam. It equally doesn’t take in easily the flavours and condiments added to it, especially when making pottage.

Well, it is time to try something different for the kids with yam apart from the usuals, and the whole family will like this too. Whether it is new or old yam, it will work with this recipe which basically consists of grated yam, onion, seasonings and egg. Half tuber of a small sized yam yielded about 14 pancakes.

The inspiration to create this yam pancake came from the ‘Latkes’ – a potato pancake traditionally eaten by the Jews during their Hanukkah Festival, a Jewish feast. It looked interestingly simple and i was thinking of trying it out (after all potatoes are not alien to us) before the yam idea kicked in. I will definitely try it and also yam in many variations so that you have a lot of choices to choose from.

Yam is much more traditional to our culture and this is a fun way for kids to eat it in a crispy sweet and savory snacky kind of way. I used old yam, since that is what i could lay my hands on and it is dry, so it does not require squeezing out moisture. If you are using new yam, you will have to squeeze out the water after grating, so that it will not get scattered when frying.

One more thing, wear a hand glove or cover your hands with nylon bag if you are going to grate with a hand grater…yam itches like hell just peeling it, talkless of grating. To be forewarned, they say is…:)

Nigerian Yam Pancake Recipe

Ingredients:

• ½ tuber small yam
• 2- 3 medium eggs
• 1 medium onion (grated or thinly chopped)
• 1 tablespoon crayfish
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 1 seasoning cube
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Small flour (optional and only to be used if yam is watery which occurs mostly with new yam)

Method:

1. Peel and grate yam with the smaller holes in your box grater or a food processor.
2. Break the eggs and whisk well. Add with the remaining ingredients to the grated yam and mix together. Add some sprinkling of flour if the mixture is watery.
3. Place a pan on low-medium heat with little oil and fry small scoops of yam batter till the sides are cooked and golden brown. Flip and also cook the other side. Do the same until the batches are done.
4. Serve warm drizzled with  stew, tomato sauce or ketchup, as well as other sides.

Love this recipe? Drop a comment or a feedback if you’ve tried it.

Drop a comment below, share with friends, like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

Are you looking for a simple and quick solution in managing your pest problems? We understand how much of a nuisance they can be. Common pests can become a huge structural threat and can even cause other problems or discomfort both mentally and physically. Whether you’re in need of treating termite, ants, bed bugs, roaches or other crawling insects, PestHit has all professional pest control products and supplies – easily select your product from our online store, compare products and check out with our secure payment processing system and get discounts using coupon codes or email vouchers. #pesthit #pest control products