Total Time

　　30 minutes

　　This recipe warms the heart of my big sister, Omolola. She insists that she can’t make it like I can, but I reckon she just likes being pampered once in a while. Don’t we all. Yam can be a little dry on its own but this mash is silky smooth, with the coconut giving it a richness.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　1 pound puna yam

　　1 black plantain

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil

　　1 teaspoon ground white pepper

　　1 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　

Step 1

Peel the yam, removing all the dark outer bark. Some tubers have woodybark running to the core in some areas. Remove it, preserving as muchflesh as possible. Slice the yam into 3/4 inch discs, halve, then quarter.Put in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for8 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Top and tail the plantain, then make a skin-deep incision along the spine.Peel and cut into 4 even pieces, crosswise. Add to the pan of simmeringyam and leave for another 8 minutes. Add a little more warm water if theplantain and yam are not sufficiently covered.

　　

Step 3

In the meantime, measure out the coconut oil and seasoning.

　　

Step 4

Check if the yam is done by removing a piece and inserting a fork. If youcan do so with relative ease, it’s ready. Yam is robust and can withstand“overcooking,” so don’t worry if any pieces have boiled inconsistently.Check the plantain by removing one piece and halving it crosswise on acutting board. You want each piece to be the same bright yellow as theoutside through the cross section.

　　

Step 5

When both yam and plantain are ready, drain in a colander and returnthem to the dry pan. Working quickly, add the coconut oil and mashthoroughly while hot. It usually takes 2 to 3 minutes to achieve a smoothconsistency. Season with the salt and white pepper and mash one last time.I like to use a fork for this part.

　　

Step 6

Ball with an ice cream scoop and serve immediately.

　　Cooks' Note

　　The most effective way to store excess yam is to peel the tubers, slice into discs, and freeze it in portions. You can boil it from frozen when you’re ready to use it.

　　From Foods From Across Africa © 2016 by Duval Timothy, Jacob Fodio Todd, and Folayemi Brown. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.Reprinted with permission from HarperCollins.