Fried Yam
Overview
Fried yam is called dundun in Yoruba, and it is one of the most eaten street foods in Nigeria. Yam is peeled, cut into thick chips, salted and fried until the outside crisps and the inside stays soft and floury. It is sold from roadside stands with a pepper sauce, and it is eaten at breakfast, at lunch and late at night. Yam is the crop that Nigeria produces more of than anywhere else in the world, and dundun is the most direct thing to do with it. It costs almost nothing, needs three ingredients, and the frying takes minutes. That combination is what makes it street food: a vendor with a pot of oil and a sack of yam is in business. Its usual partner is akara, the fried bean cake, and the pairing of dundun and akara with a ground pepper sauce is a standard Nigerian breakfast. It is also eaten with egg sauce, with fried fish, with stew, or on its own. The word dundun covers the fried treatment specifically, as distinct from the plain, pounded and porridge treatments of the same tuber, each of which occupies its own place on the Nigerian table.
AFN Heritage Note
Yam is documented as a crop of the West African yam belt, cultivated there for several thousand years, and Nigeria is its largest producer. Fried yam is known in Yoruba as dundun, distinguishing the fried preparation from the boiled, pounded and porridge forms of the same tuber.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Peel the yam tuber and cut it into 1 inch cylindrical discs. Make several cuts across the discs to get large chips.
- 2
Wash the yam chips and place them in a bowl.
- 3
Add a little salt and toss to distribute it. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- 4
Heat the oil to about 175°C.
- 5
When the oil is hot, add a few yam chips at a time, leaving enough room to turn them.
- 6
Fry, turning, until they have turned golden.
- 7
Remove the chips and drain on paper towels.
Africook’s Notes
- The 20 minutes of salting is not just seasoning. It draws out some moisture and helps the chips crisp rather than steam in the oil.
- Fry in batches with room to turn. A crowded pot drops the oil temperature and gives you soft, oily yam.
- There is a second method that guarantees a cooked centre: parboil the chips for 7 to 10 minutes, drain them, then deep fry for 5 to 7 minutes. It takes longer and removes the guesswork.
- To bake instead, parboil the chips, drain, spread them on a greased tray so they are not touching, and bake at 230°C for 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Akara and a ground pepper sauce are the classic partners. Egg sauce, fried fish and stew all work.
Questions cooks ask
How do I know the yam is cooked through?
Take one chip out of the oil and pierce it with a fork. It should go in with no resistance. This is the main difficulty with frying yam from raw, which is why many cooks parboil the chips for 7 to 10 minutes first and then fry them for 5 to 7. That removes the guesswork entirely.
What kind of yam should I use?
African white yam, sold in long rough skinned tubers at African grocers, which is dense and floury and crisps well. Sweet potato is a different plant despite being called yam in some countries, and it will not give the same result. Choose a firm tuber with no soft spots.
Can I bake fried yam instead?
Yes. Parboil the chips for 7 to 10 minutes, drain them, spread them on a lightly greased tray so they are not touching, and bake at 230°C for 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. The result is lighter but less crisp. Whichever method you use, the finished yam should be crisp, or it is not dundun.
What is fried yam eaten with?
Akara, the fried bean cake, is the classic pairing and the two together with a ground pepper sauce is a standard Nigerian breakfast. Egg sauce is the other common partner, along with fried fish, stew or a pepper dip. It is also eaten plain as a snack with nothing but salt.
Reviews
2 reviews
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bought a massive yam in the Afro shop in town and had no idea how to tackle it at first. cutting it into those 1 inch discs first made it way easier to peel and cut into chips. took me a bit longer than 25 mins to get them really golden but they were grand, totally different texture to a normal potato.
In Dar we often fry yams like this for evening tea. Leaving the cut yam in the salt for 20 minutes really lets the seasoning soak in before they go into the hot oil. Crispy on the outside and very soft inside. Asante.