Igname pilée

Ingredients

Yam

• 2 kgwhite yam
• water, for boiling
• 1 teaspoonsalt, optional
• hot water, for pounding

Peanut sauce

• 300 ggroundnut paste
• or 300 g unsweetened peanut butter
• 2onions, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 500 gmeat or fish
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 1chilli, chopped
• 2stock cubes
• about 800 ml water
• salt and black pepper

Equipment

• a large wooden mortar
• a long wooden pestle
• or a strong stand mixer

Directions

1. Cut the yam into manageable rounds. Stand each round up on the board. Slice the thick skin off downwards. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough. Cut deep enough to remove all the brown. Rinse the peeled pieces immediately.
2. Keep them in water until you cook them. That also stops them discolouring. Cut the peeled yam into large chunks. Put them into a large pot of water. Add salt if you want it, though many do not. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. It should be completely soft throughout.
3. Drain the cooked yam thoroughly. Keep a jug of the hot cooking water. Put the hot yam in a large wooden mortar. Work while it is still genuinely hot. Cold yam goes hard and will not pound. Begin by crushing it down with the pestle. It is often done by two people together.
4. Sprinkle in a little hot cooking water. Add it only when the mass gets stiff. Too much water makes it sticky and loose. Add it in a spoonful at a time. Keep pounding until it is completely smooth. Pull a piece and it should stretch. It should have no lumps or grain at all. Work in batches while the yam is hot. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot.
5. Brown the meat or fish and lift it out. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good eight minutes. Add the garlic and the chilli. Stir the tomato paste in as well. Fry it for a good two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes to it.
6. Cook them down for about eight minutes. Never add the paste straight to a hot pot. Put the paste in a bowl first. Add warm water a little at a time. Whisk it smooth between each addition. Keep going until it is a thin cream. Finishing the sauce takes attention. Pour the loosened paste into the pot. Add the rest of the water to it. Return the meat or fish to it.
7. Crumble in the stock cubes as well. Season it with salt and black pepper. Let it simmer for about twenty-five minutes. Stir it every few minutes without fail. It should coat the back of a spoon. Oil should separate and rise to the surface. Shaping the yam takes wet hands.
8. Take a portion of the pounded yam. Roll it into a smooth ball between your palms. Set each ball into a serving bowl. Serving it is done immediately. Ladle sauce around the ball, not over it. Serve the meat or fish alongside. Tear off a piece with your fingers. Make a small hollow in it with your thumb. Dip it into the sauce and swallow. It does not keep at all well once cold.

Technique

• A new season’s yams are not eaten immediately: a new-yam festival marks the point at which they may be, with ceremony as well as eating, and such festivals are held across the yam belt in Benin, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo on dates that vary by community.
• True yam is entirely unrelated to sweet potato: it is a large starchy tuber with rough brown skin and dense dry white flesh, and white yam is the kind used for pounding.
• Fresh yam sap is slippery and irritating and can cause itching, so rinse the peeled pieces immediately and keep them in water, which also stops them discolouring.

Substitutions

• A strong stand mixer with a dough hook approximates the pounding while the yam is hot.
• Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for groundnut paste.

Variations

• Tomato sauce is served with it as often as peanut sauce.
• Some households pound plantain in with the yam.
• Electric pounding machines are widely sold across the region.

History

Benin’s central yam belt marks the harvest with new-yam festivals; the tubers are boiled and pounded in wooden mortars for sauces.

Frequently asked questions

What is Igname pilée?

Igname pilée is a main from Benin: festive pounded yam with peanut or tomato sauces. Benin’s central yam belt marks the harvest with new-yam festivals; the tubers are boiled and pounded in wooden mortars for sauces.

How long does Igname pilée take to make?

Igname pilée takes 30 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Igname pilée?

Yes, within limits. A strong stand mixer with a dough hook approximates the pounding while the yam is hot. Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for groundnut paste.

What is the most important thing to get right in Igname pilée?

Keep them in water until you cook them. That also stops them discolouring. Cut the peeled yam into large chunks. Put them into a large pot of water. Add salt if you want it, though many do not. Bring the whole pot up to a boil. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. It should be completely soft throughout.