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Home » Main dishes » How to Cook Yam (African Yam)

Published: Sep 6, 2019 · Modified: Sep 10, 2019 by K's Cuisine · This post may contain affiliate links ·

How to Cook Yam (African Yam)

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How to cook yam (African yam). This is how i cook soft, fluffy yam in easy steps. You'll love this stress free method of cooking yam! What is yam? Yam is tuber root vegetable that is grown in most African and Asian countries. It is starchy, good source of cabohydrates and filling. Yam is an African word that means 'to eat'. Yam is different to sweet potatoes and Cassava. This recipe is for boiled yam which is one of African Yam recipes.

There are different types of yam. There is white yam (brown skin and white inner colour.. The skin is rough) and Yellow yam (brown skin just like white yam but yellow internally) . These are the popular Nigerian Yams.
I personally prefer white yam however i have used yellow yam in this recipe as that was what was available when i made this. So this is how i cook soft yam:

How to Cook Yam (African Yam)
Yam with Corned beef sauce

How to Peel Yam (African Yam)

The easiest way to peel African yam is to use sharp knife to slice in round slices about 1 inch thick then peel the skin off each slices. Try to peel as less as possible of the yam with the skin to prevent wastage. You should drop each peeled slice in a bowl of water to avoid discolouration. Wash thoroughly to get the dirt and slime off.

How to store Yam

Firstly, ensure the yams for storing are good, healthy yams.
Yam should then be stored in a cool, dry place.
Protect from direct Sunlight and water
You can freeze raw ( cut, peel, rinse and freeze) or cook and freeze. It can be frozen for 3-6 months. Freezing raw or cooked require putting in freezer bags or freezer safe air tight containers.

Ways to Cook African Yam

African Yam can be cooked in many ways including boiling, (boiled and eaten with sauce, for pounding in making Pounded yam, yam balls, etc) frying and roasting.
All of these methods require peeling the skin off. Yam is also used as thickener in soups like Ofe Nsala.

How to boil Yam

1) Cut, slice and peel Yam
2) Rinse yam and put in a pot, cover with water, add salt, sugar, cover and leave to boil for 25 minutes or till soft (when poked with fork it goes in without resistance)

Steb by step process picture


3) When soft, drain the water and leave yam to cool

  • How to  cook fluffy yam
  • Best way to cook yam

4) Serve with sauce of choice like:
Corned beef Stew
Egg Stew
Fish sauce

how to boil yam. how to cook yam. African yam

Other recipes you might like are:

Yam pottage

How to make Pounded yam in Food Processor

How to Cook Yam
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How to Cook Yam (African Yam)

How to cook yam (African Yam). Yam is tuber root vegetable that is grown in most African and Asian countries. We have white yam and yellow yam..
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Main Course, Yam recipes
Cuisine: African, Asian, Nigerian
Keyword: african yam, how to boil yam, How to cook soft fluffy yam, How to cook yam, ways to cook yam
Servings: 4
Calories: 5kcal
Author: K's Cuisine
Cost: $5

Ingredients

  • 1 Whole Yam
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Cut Yam, slice and peel the skin off
  • Rinse yam and put in a pot, cover with water, add salt, sugar, cover and leave to boil for 25 minutes or till soft (when poked with fork it goes in without resistance)
  • When soft, drain the water and leave the yam to cool
  • Serve with sauce of choice.

Video

Notes

Serve with sauce of choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 5kcal
NigerianYam

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I love reading from you so don't forget to leave comment and feedback in the comment section below,

See you in my next post,

Happy Cooking

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Comments

  1. Erin says

    February 03, 2022 at 2:43 am

    Mine allways turns out bitter. It's philipino yam. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

    Reply
  2. Donna J Pappas says

    December 11, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    Are these yam ok for someone who is diabetic? I was given a couple but no boiling or roasting methods. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks so much

    Reply
  3. Bella and Dawn at Dear Mummy Blog says

    September 20, 2019 at 7:19 am

    We've never cooked with yam before but recognise the root from watching The Island. Sounds like a lovely dish and we're definitely going to give it a try once we source it!

    Reply
  4. Laura Schwormstedt says

    September 20, 2019 at 12:21 am

    I've always wondered how you cook yam so thanks so much for sharing this - going to try it out this month

    Laura x

    Reply
  5. fashionandstylepolice says

    September 18, 2019 at 9:57 am

    I miss eating African Yam. Not had some in years now.

    Reply
  6. Scandi Mummy says

    September 18, 2019 at 9:11 am

    I’ve only ever had this cooked for me so maybe it’s time to try making it myself. Looks delicious

    Reply
  7. Miranda (Anosa) says

    September 18, 2019 at 8:57 am

    I have had yam a few times before and when I visited Nigeria at the beginning of the year, I had some boiled yum too.

    Reply
  8. missembarlow says

    September 17, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    Great advice, I've been looking at them in the international food market for months and had no idea how to cook them!

    Reply
  9. bigfamilytravelsblog says

    September 16, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    You learn something new every day. Love learning about different cuisines.

    Reply
  10. clairelomax2018 says

    September 16, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    I always thought of Yams as sweet potato like and would have cooked in the same way.

    Great recipe, thank you for sharing, I look forward to trying this x

    Reply
    • K's Cuisine says

      September 16, 2019 at 8:34 pm

      Glad you now know not to do that 🙂 They are totally different. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
      • Martin Nieski says

        January 21, 2025 at 9:39 pm

        Nice snack or a meal. I stopped in an African store just to see what they had. I couldn't resist the yam. Good inexpensive food. I just sliced them thin and fried them and ate them with mango and ginger chutney. I guess any chutney do.

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