Due to this, I lost my appetite for anything related to ‘banku’ or spaghett. So, yesterday being a market day I decided to go get some stuff from the market. Today,I saw this video on TikTok about a yam recipe so I decided to give it a try.
Allow me to transport you to the Greater Accra region of Ghana which is the country’s capital known for its famous ‘yam Otor’. Otor originates from the Ga Adangbes in the greater Accra region. This meal is mostly served at naming ceremonies, funerals, wedding and other festivals.In junior high school, I was taught that Otor was the food for the gods.😅
Join me as I take you through the process of preparing Otor or should I say the food for the gods?
To prepare this meal, you will need
Yam( depending on the quantity you want to prepare)
Green pepper
Onions
Palm oil
Earthenware bowl
Eggs( not compulsory)
The Process
First peel your yam, wash and boil with some eggs. Make sure to add some salt for taste.
Next, you grind your green pepper with some onions and ginger in your earthenware bowl.
Check on the yam until it is soft. Then you strain the water and allow to cool down a bit.
Add your yam to your grinded stuff in the earthenware bowl and mash until it is smooth.
Moving on, grab your palm oil and heat it under low heat with some onions. Wait till the onions are caramelized in the oil before taking it off the fire. Finally getting to put my food biochemistry lessons to use. Haha.😅
Transfer the contents of your frying pan ( oil + caramelized onions) into your earthenware bowl containing your yam. Then you stirr till there is a colour change.
My oil wasn’t enough so I had to heat up some more oil.
Whew! This actually looked good and simpler than I thought. This meal is served with eggs which is optional and it is eaten in the earthenware bowl.
I’m not really a big fan of yam but I had a lot of fun preparing this meal and I really enjoyed it. I ate everything though .😅
I hope you learnt something new today and oh, you should give this a try. Thanks for your time!
all images belong to me unless stated otherwise