Easiest Way to Make Ikokore Ijebu
Nigeria
Cuisinier en devenir
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Ikokore is the water yam pottage of the Ijebu people of Ogun State in southwestern Nigeria, and it belongs to them specifically rather than to Yorubaland generally. Ijebu people claim it firmly, and it is one of the dishes by which the subgroup is identified within a much larger ethnic group. Water yam is what makes it. It is a different species from the white yam used for pounded yam, wetter and more mucilaginous, and it cannot be substituted. Grated raw rather than cooked whole, it is dropped into hot stock in loose balls that set as they cook and turn translucent, which is the visual sign the dish is ready. Those balls are the structure of the pottage, and stirring too early destroys them. The other rule is generosity with protein. Ikokore takes beef, smoked fish, smoked prawns and whatever else is available, and Ijebu cooks are explicit that holding back is the wrong instinct. Palm oil, dried pepper and efirin, the scent leaf, finish it. It is a dish made for a household eating together rather than for a single portion, and the source describes it as a family affair, which is how it is generally cooked and eaten.
Ikokore is documented as a dish of the Ijebu people of Ogun State in southwestern Nigeria, made from grated water yam, a distinct species from the white yam used for pounded yam. Yams have been cultivated in the West African yam belt for several thousand years.
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Peel, wash and grate the water yam. Add a little salt and mix.
Season and steam the beef with onion, pepper, salt and beef seasoning.
When the meat is cooked, add the smoked fish and prawns, adjust the seasoning, add some more water and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the palm oil and cook for 5 minutes.
Using your hand, drop the water yam paste into the pot in small balls, leaving space between them so the stock can boil up and cook them.
Reduce the heat to very low to let the balls cook. Do not stir immediately. Rock or shake the pot if you need to loosen them.
The balls are done when they are translucent and the sauce has thickened, which takes about 15 minutes.
Once the balls are set, use a wooden spoon to stir the pottage gently without squashing them.
Taste for salt, add the efirin, cook for 2 minutes and serve.
Notes personnelles de Taiwo Oladapo3 avis
My Nigerian neighbour near Woolies recommended I try grating the water yam instead of blending it, so I gave this a go. Dropped about 15ml sized balls of the paste directly into the boiling stock with the smoked prawns. Texture came out super lekker, not slimy at all. Used 22.5ml of palm oil like stated and cooked it just now for lunch.
my sister bought water yam for me from the market near Seven Sisters station paa. fresh efirin leaf is hard to get in Tottenham so i had to use dried scent leaf from my cupboard. the smoked prawns give it nice flavour oo but my yam balls dissolved a bit because stock was boiling too hard at first. still tasted good though.
I had never cooked with water yam before, grating it was definitely a sticky workout! Dropping the wet paste into the simmering beef stock felt a little nerve-wracking because I was scared the balls would break apart, but they held their shape. Quick question though: is efirin leaf closer to sweet basil or Thai basil? I used Thai basil with the smoked fish and my family really enjoyed it.