Growing up I was told that the combination of Yam and palm oil was what poor people ate. Whatever the hell that meant. I used to feel guilty enjoying this simple dish because I always asked myself why Nigerians would label such a dish amongst others as a poor person’s food. I then realized the reason why was because it did not require a lot of preparation. Fast forward a few years, I am speaking with my Indonesian friend and she starts telling me how coconut rice with a few pieces of chicken or beef is considered poor people’s food in her own country. I thought to myself thats some decadent poverty right there. I have decided to change the way I look at certain dishes now. I decided to pair this simple one with white wine as a way to enjoy it and make it feel like an important meal. Yam and palm oil, I love you because you saved me on very hungry days. Ok i’d stop here. For non–Nigerians that may not be used to it, here is the recipe.
Ingredients
12 pieces of small yam cubes
1 Cooking spoon of palm oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of dry pepper
Chopped red bell pepper to garnish (optional)
Method
Boil the yam for about 10–15 minutes. To check if its ready, pierce a fork through one and if it breaks easily then it’s ready. Pour in 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the pot of yam and after 2 minutes, take off the heat and drain the excess water.
In a bowl, mix your palm oil with pepper and salt and serve with the yam. You may choose to garnish with the red bell pepper.
