Ghanaian Yam Porridge (Ampesi-Style Yam Pottage with Palm Oil)

About This Recipe

Ghanaian Yam Porridge is a real, traditional Ghanaian dish, known as Ampesi-Style Yam Pottage with Palm Oil. Chunks of yam simmered in a light palm oil and tomato broth until soft and slightly broken down, a comforting Ghanaian breakfast porridge.\n\nYam porridge draws on Ghana's long-standing reliance on yam as a dietary staple, cooked down into a soft, porridge-like consistency as a nourishing, easy-to-digest breakfast or light meal.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Ghanaian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgyam(peeled and cut into chunks)
• 4 tbspred palm oil
• 1yellow onion(diced)
• 2tomatoes(diced)
• 1scotch bonnet pepper(minced)
• 200 gsmoked fish(flaked)
• 1 tspground crayfish or shrimp powder
• 1.2 Lwater
• 1 tspfine sea salt(to taste)
• 2 tbspchopped scallions(to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the yam

   Simmer the yam chunks in water for 15 minutes until just beginning to soften but not fully cooked.

2. 2

   Cook the aromatics

   In a separate pan, heat red palm oil and cook onion until soft, about 6 minutes.

3. 3

   Build the sauce

   Add tomatoes and scotch bonnet, cooking for 8 minutes.

4. 4

   Combine

   Add the sauce mixture to the pot with the yam and its cooking liquid.

5. 5

   Simmer until porridge-like

   Continue simmering for another 20 minutes, mashing some of the yam chunks against the side of the pot as it cooks, until the mixture reaches a soft, chunky, porridge-like consistency.

6. 6

   Finish

   Stir in flaked smoked fish and crayfish powder, season with salt, and garnish with chopped scallions before serving hot.

Variations

• •

  Add fresh shrimp instead of or alongside smoked fish for a different protein.

• •

  Some households add a bit of garden egg (African eggplant) for extra texture.

• •

  A vegetarian version skips the fish and adds extra vegetables.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions