Asaro (Yam Porridge)

Peel the yam and cut it into medium chunks, about 3–4 cm.

💡 Yam skin is thick and the flesh under it is slippery once wet. Peel it dry, on a board, and take a generous layer off — any brown left behind tastes woody.

Rinse the chunks a couple of times, until the water is no longer cloudy. Set aside.

💡 That cloudiness is surface starch. Leave it in and the pot turns gluey rather than porridge-like.

Blend the red bell pepper, habanero, tomato and half the onion until smooth.

Put the yam in a pot and pour the blended sauce over it, then add the salt, bouillon powder and the 720 ml of water.

Cover and cook 10 minutes over medium-high heat, until the yam takes a fork at the edges but is still firm in the middle.

💡 Do not stir yet. Yam breaks up readily once it starts softening, and you want to control when that happens — not have it decided for you at minute 10.

Stir in the palm oil, the sliced remaining onion and the crayfish. Cover and cook another 10 minutes.

Now mash: crush some of the yam against the side of the pot with a masher or wooden spoon, and deliberately leave some chunks whole.

💡 This is her preference and it is what makes asaro asaro: mashed yam thickens the sauce into porridge, while the surviving chunks give you something to bite. Mash it all and you have made yam mash in sauce.

Check the consistency: it should mound softly on a spoon. Loosen with a splash of water if it has gone stiff.

💡 Yam keeps drinking liquid as it sits, so err on the loose side — a pot that looks perfect in the pan will be stodgy by the time it reaches the table.

Flake in the mackerel — or whatever fish you are using — in large pieces.

Let it simmer 3–5 minutes, just long enough for the fish to warm through and lend its flavour to the pot.

Stir in the basil, parsley or leafy greens, and serve hot.

💡 Fold the greens in off the heat if you want them bright — 30 seconds in the residual heat is plenty for basil.