Hibiscus: Discover Fresh Flavours from West Africa with the Observer Rising Star of Food 2017. Lope Ariyo
80ml coconut cream
11/2 tbsp palm wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Fill a large casserole dish 2cm deep with groundnut oil and put in the oven to warm up.
Over a high heat, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Once the water is boiling, add the sweet potatoes and cook for 7 minutes or until they can just about be pierced by a fork.
While the potatoes are boiling, mix together the ground cloves, onion granules, salt and white pepper in a small bowl.
When the potatoes are ready, drain them in a colander and season with the clove and onion mix. Carefully remove the casserole dish from the oven and fill with the sweet potatoes. Roast the potatoes for 10 minutes before taking them out and turning them, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. At this point, the potatoes will be slightly golden.
Just before the potatoes are done, make the dressing by whisking together the coconut cream, vinegar, groundnut oil and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the chopped onion and tarragon, then mix everything together.
Serve the sweet potatoes with the dressing and a squeeze of lemon juice.
UNCLE YOMI’S BAKED EGGS WITH YAM
I’ve never witnessed anyone cook eggs as delicately as my uncle does. Using a wooden spoon, he gently sweeps the eggs from one side of the pan to the other, almost like a slow dance in the pan. It’s a family favourite, and we often sit down to eat the eggs with yams boiled in sugared water. But due to their popularity, my uncle was finding he had to make his special eggs more than once (in fact at least twice more), so we’ve since adopted a new method whereby the other batches cook in the oven along with the yams, so he can eat his food without it getting cold.
PREP TIME: 20 MINS
COOKING TIME: 50 MINS
SERVES: 4
1/2 puna yam
2 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for brushing
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 salad tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded (if preferred) and thinly sliced
8 eggs
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp onion granules
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
salt and finely ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
Roughly slice the yam into six thick discs so that it’s easier to handle. Using a paring knife, peel away the bark from the yam and cut each disc in half. Thinly slice each disc in half lengthways to create ‘petals’ – it’s worthwhile using a mandolin slicer to get the petals as thin as possible. Rinse the yams in a bowl of cold water and dry on some kitchen paper.
Add 1 tablespoon of the groundnut oil to a 23cm cast-iron skillet, and make sure the entire base is well coated. Fan out the yam petals, so that they overlap each other, to form a flower that completely covers the base of the skillet. Use the remaining yam slices to create more layers. You should have roughly five layers, depending on the thickness of the yam petals. Brush the exposed yams on the top layer with groundnut oil. Bake for 20 minutes until the yams start to soften and the edges curl up.
Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, along with the onion, tomatoes and Scotch bonnet. Fry over a medium–low heat for 8 minutes until the onions have softened. Take off the heat and let cool.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the celery salt, onion granules, cayenne pepper and ground cloves, along with the cooled, cooked vegetables. Stir until well incorporated, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the yam base. Return to the oven for a final 30 minutes until the eggs are cooked and the top is golden. Serve hot.
Asaro (Yoruba)
In Nigeria, my grandma would sometimes make pottage for me and my cousins. It’s a really comforting dish and traditionally leans more towards porridge than soup. She always aims to please, so she would spend lots of time adjusting the spices until they were perfect. Sometimes she’d add smoked turkey or mackerel to intensify the flavour, although I haven’t included any in this more conventional version. Some people like to use water yams, coco yams or plantain, but I’ve chosen puna yams for this recipe as they are quite floury and give a fluffy, cloud-like texture. Serve on its own sprinkled with a few chives or with Bell Pepper Soup (Obe Ata). Alternatively, enjoy with Malt Braised Beef or Baobab Lamb Cutlets. If you can’t find palm oil, you can try coconut oil or groundnut oil but the flavour of the dish won’t be the same.
PREP TIME: 20 MINS
COOKING TIME: 35 MINS
SERVES: 4
4 tbsp palm oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded (if preferred) and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 large puna yam, peeled and cut into chunks
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
1 tbsp carob powder
2 tsp onion granules
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp celery salt
2 tsp dried basil
salt and cayenne pepper
chives, to serve (optional)
Add the palm oil to a large saucepan over a medium–low heat and let it melt. Stir in the onion, Scotch bonnet, celery and yellow pepper. Cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion and pepper are softened. Using a hand-held blender, purée the vegetables until smooth.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and carefully add in the cubed yams. Let cook, covered, for 10 minutes, until beginning to soften. Use a colander to drain the yam,