WHAT IS PUNA YAM
Puna yam is a Ghanaian and African root vegetable with a bark like skin and white flesh. It is a carb and eaten in place of rice, pasta and potatoes.
WHAT MAKES PUNA YAM DIFFERENT FROM OTHER STARCHY FOODS
Puna yam has the texture of dry potato and tastes a bit like chestnuts.
I first tried it when I first got with my husband and I was pleasantly surprised. He served it with some stew and it was next level. The yam had the flavour of the stew but it wasn’t overpowering. The yam balanced it out just like rice and pasta do with any sauce or stew, but the yam was different. It didn’t mush up like potato would if it gets covered in stew or sauce. The yam stayed firm like meat until you bite it and feel it’s velvety texture.
Puna yam is on another level to other starchy foods because it brings texture and carries other flavours beautifully. Even if you were to make a veggie stew or a pureed sauce as long as your stew or sauce was jam pack full of concentrated flavour you wouldn’t need meat or other kinds of textures.
How to peel, cut and boil puna yam video
HOW TO PEEL AND CUT PUNA YAM
Preparing yam is super easy, it’s just like you would with any other root vegetable
- Cut the ends off of your yam
- Slice your yam into 3-4cm pieces
- Place each piece flat side down and with your knife slice the skin off as thin as you can
- Cut your yam into the size chunks you like
- Wash your yam in cold water to get rid of any skin and starch
HOW TO BOIL PUNA YAM
- Add your yam to a saucepan and fill it with cold water so it comes up 3/4 of the way up your yam
- Boil on a medium for about 15-20 minutes
HOW TO TELL WHEN YOUR YAM IS COOKED
You will know your yam is cooked when it gets a jelly like coating on top and it is still firm inside. If it is too soft inside it will be too mushy and there will be no texture when you eat it with your stew. All stew needs some kind of texture.
WHAT TO EAT WITH PUNA YAM
I love eating puna yam with kontomire a Ghanaian spinach and lamb stew and some fried plantain for sweetness and crunch. You don’t have to just have Ghanaian stew with your yam. You can mix it up with any type of stew or saucy food. I like to give my yam a Greek Ghana mix and eat it with bamies, a Greek okra stew and plantain.
Don’t forget the jollof if you really want a taste of Ghana. For the best Ghanaian jollof rice recipe click here.
If you would like to try more Ghanaian recipes click here.
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the ends off of your yam and slice your yam into 3-4cm pieces
- Place each piece flat side down and with your knife slice the skin off as thin as you can
- Cut your yam into the size chunks you like
- Wash your yam in cold water to get rid of any skin and starch
- Add your yam to a saucepan and fill it with cold water so it comes up 3/4 of the way up your yam
- Boil on a medium for about 15-20 minutes
VIDEO
Nutrition
Great tips! Puna Yam is my favourite accompaniment to Ghanaian stew, as it carries the flavour of the rich stew, and adds a nutty sweetness. Simple, easy to understand instructions, thank you! Do you have any stew recipes?
I totally agree with you Marcus, yam with a strong flavoursome stew is the best flavour combo. I will be posting a delicious Ghanaian stew really soon so make sure you subscribe to my You Tube channel so you are notified when I do and subscribe to my blog via email so you will get sent my latest recipes.