This celebratory dish is important in many Ghanaian homes, especially to celebrate weddings and coming-of-age ceremonies. Made by mashing yams with palm oil and onions, you can easily make this dish for a taste of Ghana at home.
1Shrimp bouillon cubeI substituted chicken as I couldn’t find shrimp
Sea salt to taste
2-3Hard boiled eggs
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 3 peeled and cubed yams and boil until fork tender. Strain the water out of the pot. Then place the yams in a large bowl, and mash.
In the meantime, heat ¼ cup red palm oil in a pan over medium heat. Add 1 diced red onion to the oil and allow the onions to caramelize. Once caramelized, add 1 shrimp bouillon cube and continue stirring until fully dissolved.
Add oil and onion mixture to the mashed yams. Mix to combine until the yam turns a bright yellow color. Season with sea salt to taste.
Peel the 2-3 hard boiled eggs and place the entire eggs on top of the pot of yams. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
Yams: If you can get ahold of Ghanaian yams, that would be your best option. The second best option is a smaller yam (aka white sweet potatoes), more commonly found in American grocery stores. As a last result, you can use sweet potatoes!
Bouillon Cubes: Shrimp bouillon is most common for Oto, but you can also use chicken instead if necessary
Oil: Use red palm oil for this recipe. I like Nutiva’s Palm Oil because it is fair trade and ethically sourced. In a pinch you can sub coconut oil instead.
Generally you can make one egg per person eating
If you want to season the oil before frying, you can briefly fry a bay leaf to give the oil some flavor
Sometimes this recipe is shown as made with plantains instead of yams. Both are valid!
This dish is sometimes served with roasted peanuts and avocado slices to make it a well-rounded and filling meal.
Red Palm Oil has a very low smoking point (302 degrees Fahrenheit), so you don’t need to turn the heat up high on the stove when cooking the onions. A medium heat should do the trick.