Yam pepper soup (Ji mmiri oku)

It's no hidden fact that my love for yam knows no bounds. Just one look at the collection of yam recipes on dobby's signature is enough to tell you how much i love yam. Today, i'd be showing you how i make "Ji mmiri oku" which is one of my favorite eastern Nigeria dishes. This is a one pot dish which is best enjoyed on cold rainy mornings. Traditionally cooked with fresh fish, stock fish, dry fish or any type of seafood, this dish is bound to get people asking for more. it's easy to make and also very very tasty especially when eaten with palmoil sprinkled with a little bit of salt.

Ingredients:::

• 2 Fresh or 1 tbsp. dry pepper (i used dry pepper) 

• 1 medium sized Red onion (chopped/ blended)

• 5 Smoked panla fish

• 1 Dried local Catfish

• 2 tsp. Cray fish

• 1/2 cup Palm Oil

• 2 Seasoning Cubes

• Salt to taste

• A handful Scent leaves 

• 3 Uziza leaves - Optional

• 5 sticks Uda Uwentia (xylopia aethiopica) “Negro pepper” (Simply Uda or Enge)

• Aridan "tetrapleura tetraptera "(prekese) - optional

Directions:::

Step 1: Chop off a small chunk of the Aridan, pound or grind with a dry mill and set aside

Step 2: Wash the cat fish and Smoked panla fish thoroughly. Remove the bones, rinse and set aside.

Step 3: To prepare the Uda a.k.a Negro pepper which are long dark pods with very bitter seeds, Hit the uda with something heavy and open up the pods, remove and discard the sticky black seeds in it. In an open flame, roast the pods and then set aside. The Pods would be added whole while we are cooking the pepper soup as it'd later be discarded once the cooking is done. Most times, it's commonly used in the preparation of pepper soups for nursing mothers as it helps in cleansing the tummy.

Step 4: Slice the yam and peel off the brown skin. Rinse with clean water, chop into smaller chunks and place in a medium sized pot.

Step 5: Add some the onion, pepper, salt to taste and just enough water to cover the chunks of yam in the pot. Cook for about 10 mins till it starts to boil. Once you notice the water in the pot starts to bubble, add a tablespoon of palmoil, washed fish, Crushed seasoning, Uda , Aridan & Crayfish. Stir and cover the pot. Learn to cook further for 15 minutes more. By now, the yam should be soft.

Step 6: Turn off the burner and transfer the cooked yam into a different pot so it doesn't get soggy. When serving, dish out the yam and palmoil sprinkled with salt on a flat plate and the yam pepper soup in a different bowl. Serve Hot!

For how to cook yam in detail, Click Here to learn how to cook yam

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