Yam Porridge Recipe with Sweet Potato and Plantain is a healthy dish made with fruits and vegetables. It can also be prepared for people on a vegan or vegetarian diet!
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Serve it for breakfast, celebrations, and weekends for the best porridge recipe yet!
How to Make Yam Porridge
Making this porridge recipe is easier than it looks. It might even be a crowd favorite for your parties!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients for Porridge Recipe
Yam
Yam has a rich, earthy, and mildly sweet flavor. Indeed, it’s easy to prepare, and you can fry, roast, or boil it to release its taste. It has a brown exterior, but the flesh can be white, pink, purple, or yellow.
This is certainly helpful for brain function, cancer prevention, and blood sugar regulation. My kids love Fried Yams, so I always buy yams!
Check out my yam storage hack to make yam last longer!
Plantain
Plantains are sweet and starchy fruits that are best consumed when cooked. They’re great for digestion, energy, and overall health!
Remember to use leftover plantains for Air Fryer Roasted Plantains, Sweet Plantain Chips, and Plantain Porridge!
Sweet potatoes
Meanwhile, sweet potatoes are starchy and saccharine. When cooked, it can become soft, crispy, or even caramelized, depending on how you prepare it.
Sweet potatoes make excellent Mashed Potatoes. Meanwhile, you can use them for Sweet Potato Baby Food for weaning!
Other ingredients
Mackerel
It might be odd to add fish to a porridge recipe, but trust me; it will be the best. The flesh is also juicy and moist and blends perfectly with the other ingredients.
Mackerel is perfect for making Smoked Mackerel, Fish Rolls, Egg Omelet Toast, Smoked Mackerel Stew, and Moi Moi!
Baby spinach
Baby spinach is a tender, creamy, and sweet leafy green ingredient. It makes an excellent ingredient for other food such as smoothies, salads, and stews. This can also promote clear vision, bone strength, and energy.
Check out my spinach storage hack to make spinach last longer!
Red bell pepper
On the other hand, red bell pepper has a sweet and citrus-like flavor that can be a unique characteristic of porridge. It is my go-to ingredient for Jollof Rice, Leftover Fried Rice, and Couscous!
Sweet pepper
Sweet bell pepper can make an excellent pair with red bell pepper. Similarly, it has a mild flavor that complements the rest of the ingredients.
Believe it or not, I use sweet pepper for Breakfast Sandwiche, Homemade Paprika, and Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry!
Scotch bonnet
If you want to take a break from the sweet ingredients, then add a scotch bonnet for some spice to the porridge. Try my scotch bonnet storage hack to have it in stock all the time!
Red onion
Red onion is not totally different from yellow onions. In fact, they taste almost the same when cooked. It’ll certainly look more appetizing with this ingredient!
Palm oil
Use palm oil to equalize the sweet and earthy flavors of the dish. It also makes the porridge recipe smell fresh and fragrant.
Seasoning
Since the dish is flavorful from the ingredients alone, you only need chicken stock cubes or all-purpose seasoning and sea salt to season it.
These ingredients are not the usual ones you would expect in porridge, but trust the process and wait until you try it!
Directions
Prepare the fruits and vegetables
- Peel and slice the yams, sweet potatoes, and plantains into big pieces.
- Submerge the yam and sweet potatoes in a bowl of water.
- Then, transfer them into bowls.
Cook the mackerel
- Clean, rinse, and slice the mackerel into four pieces.
- Place it in a pot and cook over medium heat.
- Then, season it with salt, stock cubes, and mixed herbs.
- Next, add water and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Set the stock aside for later use.
- Once cooled, debone and break the mackerel into chunks.
Make the sauce
- Rinse the red bell pepper, sweet pepper, scotch bonnet, and red onion.
- Slice the ingredients using a knife.
- Puree them in a blender until smooth.
Cook the yam porridge
- Combine the sweet potatoes, plantain, yam, onion, and pepper sauce in a pot.
- Pour a cup of water into the blender and rinse it out.
- Add the mackerel liquid stock or any other stock of your choice.
- Cover it with a lid.
- Allow it to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Add the palm oil, chicken stock cubes, and sea salt, and stir.
- Let it cook for another 10 minutes over low heat.
- Then, add the chopped baby spinach, depending on your preferred quantity.
- Add chunks of the deboned mackerel or any other topping you prefer.
- Cover it with a lid and cook for two more minutes.
- Once content with the flavor, pour the porridge into a glass dish and serve!
Once done, experience the richness, fragrance, and flavor of the Yam, Sweet Potato & Plantain Porridge recipe! It has the texture, the taste, and the nutrients!
Tips
How to Select and Store Fresh Ingredients
Yam
Selection. The yams should feel firm to the touch and without bruises or cracks.
Storage. Store yam in a cool and dry area for up to 3 weeks. To refrigerate or freeze, it is best to cook or boil them, but you can also store them raw. Put them in resealable bags to preserve them.
Plantain
Selection. You can purchase unripe green plantains, then let them ripen over time. For ripe plantains, choose the ones that are yellow and black. It should yield slight pressure.
Storage. Let the unripe ones ripen within two weeks. You can refrigerate or freeze peeled and sliced ripe plantains to extend their shelf life to several days.
Sweet potatoes
Selection. Opt for medium-sized sweet potatoes with healthy-looking skin and without bruises and soft spots.
Storage. Preserve the sweet potatoes in dry areas in your pantry and use them within a week.
Baby Spinach
Selection. Pick spinach with a dark green color, fresh scent, and crunchy texture. Avoid bunches with wilted baby spinach. For packaged ones, always check the expiration date.
Storage. Do not wash the baby spinach before refrigerating. Store them in plastic bags and use them within four days.
Red bell pepper, sweet pepper, and scotch bonnet
Selection. It is best to select vibrantly colored and firm-skinned peppers. The stems should still be attached, and the bell pepper should feel heavy for its size.
Storage. Store them in resealable plastic bags to extend shelf life to up to a week.
Red onion
Selection. Go for red onions with a firm and unbruised texture. Also, avoid ones with soft spots and discoloration.
Storage. Store the onions in cool areas. For sliced onions, preserve them in airtight containers for several weeks.
How to Store Cooked Mackerel for Porridge Recipe
Cooked mackerel is best used within 2 hours. Otherwise, refrigerate it in an airtight container or wrap it in aluminum foil to store it for up to several days. You can also freeze the mackerel in freezer bags for a few weeks.
Yam Porridge Variations
Aside from this three-ingredient porridge recipe, you can also use other combinations like the following:
Make it a vegetarian porridge recipe by omitting mackerel from the recipe. You can also use a bit of vegetable broth, ginger, mushrooms, cauliflower, coriander leaves, or scallions.
Moreover, you can try using the individual ingredients of this recipe to make different versions of your own!
Recommended Tools
- Pot: Cook the porridge in a large and deep pot.
- Blender: Make the sauce using a blender.
- Knife: Peel and slice the ingredients with a knife.
- Wooden spatula: Stir the porridge using a wooden spatula.
- Glass bowls: Put the vegetables in glass bowls.
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How to Serve Yam Porridge
This dish is best served with dishes such as:
Make sure to consume this in moderation to prevent digestion problems from the starch and the sweetness.
You can eat one serving at any time of the day. Then, reheat it in the microwave or pot to serve. When stirring, remember to be gentle if you want chunks of the vegetables.
Storage Tips
- At room temperature: Consume the dish within 2 hours of cooking it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are oatmeal and porridge the same?
No, oatmeal and porridge are not the same. Oatmeal is the base of various oatmeal recipes. On the other hand, porridge can be made of different ingredients, from fruits to vegetables!
Also, porridge is usually smooth and liquid, whereas oatmeal can contain fresh ingredients.
Is porridge healthy?
Yes, porridge is healthy, especially if they are made of healthy ingredients. Its health benefits can include digestion, cancer prevention, blood sugar levels, heart health, and more!
Can you put plantain in yam porridge?
Of course! In fact, it is one of the best ingredients to add to yam porridge. In addition, it balances and compliments the starchiness of the yam.
Delicious Yam Porridge (VIDEO)
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 sweet pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet (optional)
- ½ red onion (medium-sized)
For the porridge
- 1 puna yam (medium-sized)
- 1 ripe plantain (medium-sized)
- 2 sweet potatoes (medium-sized)
- 10 cups baby spinach
- 1 mackerel (boiled or smoked)
- 1 cup mackerel liquid stock
- ½ cup palm oil (or sunflower oil)
- 2 cubes chicken stock
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Peel and slice the yam into big pieces. Submerge them in a bowl of water. Do the same for the sweet potatoes. Peel and cut the plantains. Transfer them into bowls.
- Cook the mackerel. Clean, rinse, and slice the mackerel into 4 pieces. Place it in a pot and cook over medium heat. Season it with salt, stock cubes, and mixed herbs. Add water and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Set the stock aside for later use. Once cooled, debone and break the mackerel into chunks.
- Make the pepper sauce. Rinse, slice, and blend the red bell pepper, sweet pepper, scotch bonnet, and red onion until smooth. Set this aside.
- Cook the porridge.In a pot, combine the carrots, plantain, yam, onion, and pepper sauce. Pour a cup of water into the blender and rinse it out. Add the mackerel liquid stock or any other stock of your choice. Cover it with a lid. Allow it to cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the palm oil, chicken stock cubes, and sea salt, and stir gently. Let it cook for another 10 to minutes over low heat. Then, incorporate the chopped baby spinach, depending on your preferred quantity. Add chunks of the deboned mackerel or any other topping you prefer. Cover it with a lid and cook for 2 more minutes.Serve with any stew of your choice for added taste!
Video
Notes
- Serve this with stew to balance the flavors.
- Purchase and store quality fresh ingredients for an aromatic and healthy dish.
Nutrition
