Don't let me confuse you, let me just introduce you to what foods are 'Iyan' & 'efo riro'.
- The white swallow wrapped in a nylon is 'Iyan' which is pounded yam and the spinach vegetable soup is the 'efo riro'.
In african homes, especially in nigeria, pounded yam is a common and unique kind of food and a better soup to serve with it is the vegetable soup be it spinach or pumpkins leafs.
This is not a everyday meal, as the process of making it is quite tedious, so it is usually planned ahead.
Pounded yam as the name implies means pounding the yam. The pounding aspect is the stressful part of it, even though some have decided to be grinding the yam with machine but its not the same, the taste and the texture always different from using the manual old method of pounding which is using the mortar and pestle.
Yams in west africa are seeing through out the year but there are times it could be expensive to get and also time it could cheap and surplus so its the time now.
what are the processes and steps taking to achieve my meal combinations;
Need not to stress that without yam, there will be no pounded yam as a food, so first thing is to peel the yam after deciding the quantity one want, after peeling slice and cut into cubes but not too small and not too big, arrange in a pot, add a few water, thats all, no any ingredients, no salt,no seasoning or any pepper, arrange in a pot and cook or allow to boil.
While cooking the yam. You will get your mortar and pestle ready to pound
This is how the mortar and pestle looks like and i dare to say day that over 85% of the yoruba tribe of nigeria have this at home.
Once the yam boils 35 - 45 minutes, the next thing will be to pound.
While pounding one should know when to add water, either cold or warm water and pound properly so as to have a better one.
The pounding is usually done by two people, while one is putting the yam in the mortar, the other person will be pounding with pestle.
More pictures of the pounding process
Note that while you are pounding one is expected to be fast so that the meal won't get cold.
You'll know when to stop pounding when the yam is well smashed and smooth. After this you dish out into portions right inside the mortar, in a plate or nylon
Note that blender can also be used to blend the yam or a grinding machine, its not necessary to go through the whole pounding process.
Pounded yam can also be preserved for months in a freezer.
The best soup to serve the pounded yam with is the vegetable soup, any vegetables actually.
In this case i use spinach leaf from the one i grow in my garden. Maybe this one of the reasons i grow veggies cus i love eating my veggies fresh.
This food combinations is not only unique for its taste or sweetness but for its nutrients, fresh veggies and yam are highly nutritious and good for the health.