Ingredients
Starches, choose two or three
- 1 kgyam, peeled and in thick rounds
- 500 gcocoyam, peeled
- 4ripe plantains, in thick pieces
- 500 gcassava, peeled and cored
- 500 gsweet potato
To boil
- water, to cover
- 1 teaspoonsalt
To serve
- garden egg stew
- or kontomire, cocoyam leaf stew
- or palm nut soup
- grilled or fried fish
Directions
- Peel away both the brown skin and the pink layer. Cut out the woody core down the middle. Boil it thoroughly and never eat it raw.
- Cook it thoroughly and never taste it raw. Preparing the yam takes some work. Cut the yam into thick rounds first. Cut away the brown skin and any discoloured flesh.
- Drop the peeled pieces into cold water. That stops them browning as you work. Peel the cocoyam and cut it into chunks. Peel the plantain and cut it into thick pieces. Peel and core the cassava root.
- Keep everything in cold water until you cook it. Boiling them needs some sequencing. Put the water in a large pot with the salt. Bring the water up to the boil.
- Add the cassava and yam first. Give them about ten minutes to cook. Add the cocoyam and sweet potato. Give them another ten minutes.
- Add the plantain in last of all. Give it about eight to ten minutes. Lift each kind out as it finishes. Do not leave anything sitting in the water. Drain everything thoroughly in a colander. Let it steam dry for a minute. Serving it is done hot on a wide plate.
- Arrange the pieces in groups on the plate. Keep each kind visibly separate. Ladle the stew into a bowl beside it. Eating it is done with the hands. Break off a piece and dip it in the stew. Leftovers keep two days refrigerated.
Technique
- Ampesi refers to the boiled starch rather than to any particular stew, so the plate changes with what is in season.
- Kontomire is made from cocoyam leaves, which must be cooked thoroughly for the same oxalate reason as the corms.
Substitutions
- Any combination of the starches works, and households use whatever they have.
- Potato can stand in at a pinch, though it is not traditional.
Variations
- Some households serve only yam, which is the most prized version.
- Plantain ampesi alone is made when yam is expensive.
- The same boiled starches are served with palm nut soup or groundnut soup.
History
The plain boiled-tuber meal of Akan farming households, eaten with palm-oil stews and long predating the arrival of milled flours.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ampesi?
Ampesi is a main from Ghana: boiled yam, cocoyam or plantain served with garden-egg or kontomire stew. The plain boiled-tuber meal of Akan farming households, eaten with palm-oil stews and long predating the arrival of milled flours.
How long does Ampesi take to make?
Ampesi takes 20 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ampesi?
Yes, within limits. Any combination of the starches works, and households use whatever they have. Potato can stand in at a pinch, though it is not traditional.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ampesi?
Peel away both the brown skin and the pink layer. Cut out the woody core down the middle. Boil it thoroughly and never eat it raw.
