Yam Stir Fry - Ji agworu agwo

Yam is not a frequent meal on my menu but whenever I cook it, I try to make it very interesting, not just for me but for the family as well. Living in the UK, it is difficult to buy everything I need for my African dishes. This is why I always seem to cook most of our dishes with fewer ingredients but they still come out very beautiful! So here is my take on yam porridge (Ji ngwo-ngwo)!

Ingredients

1medium size yam

spinach leaves

Green vegetable/callaloo (any quantity)

1 large red onion (chopped)

1/2  cup of Palm oil

1 Cup ukpaka or ugba 

2 scotch bonnet

2 knorr cubes

Salt

PREPARATIONS

  Pluck out the leaves of the vegetable from the stem and discard the stem;wash the leaves, cut and set aside. Peel the yam, slice and then cut each slice into 4 . 

In medium pot, put in yam cubes and then add water. The yam should be completely covered with water. 

Add a teaspoon of salt, cook until yam is soft or cooked. Once cooked, drain the water and set aside.

In a clean pot, pour in the oil and  onion, Then heat up for couple of seconds, add the ugba. Fry for a minute.

Now, add the yam and sprinkle half of the knorr cube, so that the yam will be tasty. Turn, reduce the gas and cover the pot, this enables the yam soak up a little bit of the palm oil. 

You could allow this for over a minute; then add the vegetables and the remaining cube; turn, turn again and again…

The reason for turning as much as one can, is to enable the yam bring out its crumbs, which in turn helps make the yam more "ngwongwo"

Serve hot and enjoy…