Koliko

Ingredients

Yam

• 1 kgwhite yam, peeled
• cold water
• 1 tspsalt

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Spice

• 2 tspground dried chilli
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspground ginger, optional

To serve

• a hot pepper sauce
• grilled fish or fried egg

Directions

1. Peel the yam thickly, cutting well past the pale skin into clean white flesh.
2. Peel it generously. The outer layer under the skin is fibrous and slightly bitter, and leaving it makes the whole batch taste woody.
3. Cut it into thick wedges, roughly the size of a finger.
4. Drop the wedges into cold salted water as you cut them and leave them 30 minutes.
5. The soak draws out excess starch and stops the yam browning, and it is also what makes the outside crisp rather than gummy.
6. Drain them and dry them thoroughly on a cloth.
7. Dry them properly. Wet yam spits violently in hot oil and steams instead of frying.
8. Heat the oil to about 170°C (340°F).
9. Fry the wedges in batches for 6 to 8 minutes, until pale gold and cooked through.
10. Lift them out and let them rest on a rack for 5 minutes.
11. Now raise the oil to 190°C (375°F) and fry them again for 2 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
12. The double fry is what gives the contrast: soft and floury inside, hard and crisp outside. A single fry gives one or the other and not both.
13. Drain them and toss them immediately with the chilli, salt and ginger while still hot.
14. Season them hot, straight out of the oil, so the spice sticks.
15. Serve at once in paper, with a hot pepper sauce and a fried egg or grilled fish.
16. It is sold from roadside pans across Togo and neighbouring Benin and Ghana, where it goes by other names, and it is eaten at any hour.

Technique

• Use true white yam, not sweet potato, which is a different plant entirely.
• It is one of the cheapest hot foods available and it is genuinely filling.
• The spice mix varies by vendor and is often just chilli and salt.

Substitutions

• Cassava, cut and fried the same way.
• Any dried chilli powder for the seasoning.

Variations

• With a fried egg on top, as a full meal.
• With gari sprinkled over.
• Boiled instead of fried, which is the home version.

History

Fried yam sticks eaten with hot pepper sauce, built on the yam belt that runs from central Togo into Benin and Nigeria.

Frequently asked questions

What is Koliko?

Koliko is a street food from Togo: golden fried yam wedges with chili powder. Fried yam sticks eaten with hot pepper sauce, built on the yam belt that runs from central Togo into Benin and Nigeria.

How long does Koliko take to make?

Koliko takes 15 min plus 30 min soaking of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Koliko?

Yes, within limits. Cassava, cut and fried the same way. Any dried chilli powder for the seasoning.

What is the most important thing to get right in Koliko?

Peel it generously. The outer layer under the skin is fibrous and slightly bitter, and leaving it makes the whole batch taste woody.