Boiled yam with tomato egg sauce

Name: Boiled yam with tomato egg sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 800g white yam (sold as puna yam in African shops and some supermarkets); 1 teaspoon salt, for the yam water; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1 red pepper, diced; 3 ripe tomatoes (about 300g), chopped; Half a scotch bonnet chilli, seeds out, finely chopped (optional); Half a teaspoon dried thyme; 6 eggs; Half a teaspoon salt, for the sauce; A pinch of black pepper

A favourite Nigerian weekend breakfast: thick slices of soft, fluffy boiled yam with egg sauce, which is eggs scrambled gently through a fried tomato, pepper and onion base.

AI-generated photograph: Two neat stacked rounds of ivory boiled yam on a matte terracotta plate beside a soft mound of golden scrambled egg flecked with red tomato and pepper, a sprig of thyme on top

40 minutes
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Serves 4

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

Vegetarian
Gluten free
Dairy free

Ingredients

800g white yam (sold as puna yam in African shops and some supermarkets)
1 teaspoon salt, for the yam water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, diced
3 ripe tomatoes (about 300g), chopped
Half a scotch bonnet chilli, seeds out, finely chopped (optional)
Half a teaspoon dried thyme
6 eggs
Half a teaspoon salt, for the sauce
A pinch of black pepper

Let's cook

Cut the yam into rounds about 2.5cm thick. Stand each round on its flat side and cut off the bark-like skin, then cut large rounds in half. Rinse well in cold water.
Put the yam in a pan, cover it with cold water and add the teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until a knife slides in easily but the pieces still hold their shape. Drain and cover to keep warm.
While the yam cooks, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Fry the onion and red pepper for 5 minutes until soft.
Add the tomatoes, scotch bonnet if using, and thyme. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce and the oil starts to show at the edges.
Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper in a bowl. Turn the heat down to low and pour the eggs into the pan.
Leave them for 20 seconds, then gently push the egg from the edges to the middle with a spatula. Keep folding slowly for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggs are just set and no runny egg is left. Take off the heat straight away so they stay soft.
Lay the warm yam on plates and spoon the egg sauce beside or over it.

Tips

Raw yam skin can make hands itch. Wear gloves to peel it, or rub your hands with a little oil first.
Choose yam that feels heavy and firm with no soft or mouldy patches. Cut a small piece from one end: the flesh should be creamy white.
Cook the eggs until no runny egg remains, especially for young children, older people or anyone pregnant.

Swaps

Vegan: swap the eggs for 400g of firm tofu, crumbled and warmed through the sauce (this adds soya).
No yam: use boiled sweet potato or fried plantain instead.

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800g white yam
1 onion
1 red pepper
3 tomatoes
1 scotch bonnet chilli
½ tsp dried thyme
6 eggs

Left off, as most kitchens have them: salt, vegetable oil, black pepper.

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