Pounded Yams (Ruam Kumen)

Pounded Yams  (Ruam Kumen)

Pounded yam is a Tiv delicacy made from the Nigerian Yam.  A typical Tiv person can eat this meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To the point where a Tiv person will say they have not eaten all day(even if they have eaten rice, beans, fruits etc). If they have not eaten pounded yams in an entire day they will say "Mnder je, m ngu a ya kwaghyaan ga!"

Ingredients:

1 Tuber of Yam

Water

Directions:

• Peel off the brown outer layer of the yam, slice and wash the white part with lots of clean water. Transfer into a cooking pot and start cooking with just water. Be sure that the sliced yams are almost completely submerged in water. (Be careful not to get the yams on your skin, it can be itchy)

• Cook for ten to fifteen minute then check to see if the yams are soft enough for pounding, you can check with a kitchen fork by piercing. Once the yams are soft enough for pounding you are ready for the pounding part. Be sure that the water is not completely dried because you will need it while pounding the yam.

• Sometimes the yam get very strong during pounding then you will need to add a little water while pounding, you can use ordinary water but the water left after cooking the yam is most suitable as it is still hot.

• Pick with a fork and transfer into a mortar then go ahead and pound with a pestle, pound until the yam are seedless and can easily be molded, you can add water and pound until you have a smooth soft pounded yam.

• Serve with your favorite Tiv Soup.