Ingredients
Yam
- 1.5 kgwhite yam, peeled and cut in chunks
- water, for boiling
- salt
To colour and enrich
- 150 mlred palm oil
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 1 tspsalt
To top
- 6eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
Sometimes added
- 1hot chilli, chopped
- roasted groundnuts
- smoked fish, flaked
To serve
- as part of a ceremony
- with avocado slices
Directions
- Use white yam rather than sweet potato, which is a different plant entirely. It should be firm with no soft or discoloured patches. Peel it thickly, since the skin and the layer beneath are tough. Cut it into even chunks so it cooks at the same rate. Drop the chunks into cold water as you go so they do not brown.
- Put the yam chunks in a pot and cover them with salted water. Bring it to the boil and lower to a simmer. Cook them for about twenty-five minutes. Test with a knife, which should slide in with no resistance.
- Drain them thoroughly and let them steam dry for two minutes. Preparing the palm oil base is done while the yam boils. Warm it gently in a pan until it liquefies. Do not overheat it, since palm oil scorches and loses its colour. Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt. Cook them gently for eight minutes until soft.
- Keep the heat low so they do not brown hard. Add the chopped chilli now if you are using it. Mashing the yam is done while it is hot. Mash the drained yam thoroughly in the pot. Work it until it is smooth with no lumps. Hot yam mashes far more easily than cool yam.
- Pour the warm palm oil and onion mixture over the mashed yam. Work it through with the masher or a wooden spoon. Keep working until the colour is even throughout. It should turn a deep orange all the way through.
- Add more palm oil if the colour is weak. It should be soft, smooth and slightly loose. Add a splash of hot water if it has gone too thick. Taste it and adjust the salt at the end. Shape the oto into rounds or mounds on a plate. Press a hollow into the top of each mound. Set a whole boiled egg into or beside each portion.
- Scatter roasted groundnuts over if you are using them. Add flaked smoked fish for a fuller meal. It is served warm rather than piping hot.
Technique
- Use white yam rather than sweet potato, which is an entirely different plant.
- Mash it while hot, since cool yam will not mash smooth.
- Warm the palm oil gently, as overheating scorches it and loses the colour.
Substitutions
- Cocoyam in place of white yam, which some households use.
- There is no substitute for red palm oil, which gives both colour and flavour.
Variations
- With smoked fish flaked through it.
- With roasted groundnuts scattered over.
- Made plainer, as an everyday dish rather than a ceremonial one.
History
An Akan ritual dish served at naming ceremonies, birthdays and puberty rites; the boiled egg marks the honouring of a person’s soul.
Frequently asked questions
What is Oto?
Oto is a main from Ghana: mashed yam turned orange with palm oil, topped with boiled eggs. An Akan ritual dish served at naming ceremonies, birthdays and puberty rites; the boiled egg marks the honouring of a person’s soul.
How long does Oto take to make?
Oto takes 20 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Oto?
Yes, within limits. Cocoyam in place of white yam, which some households use. There is no substitute for red palm oil, which gives both colour and flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Oto?
Use white yam rather than sweet potato, which is a different plant entirely. It should be firm with no soft or discoloured patches. Peel it thickly, since the skin and the layer beneath are tough. Cut it into even chunks so it cooks at the same rate. Drop the chunks into cold water as you go so they do not brown.
