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Ikokore

Also known as Ikokore (Ijebu Water Yam Porridge)

Ikokore is a uniquely Ijebu Yoruba dish that demonstrates how a single change of ingredient can create a completely different culinary experience from a similar preparation. Where Asaro uses white yam, Ikokore uses water yam (Dioscorea alata) — a different species of yam with a distinctly sticky, glutinous, viscous texture when grated.

Ikokore, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 big water yam (Dioscorea alata), peeled and grated
  • 3 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of palm oil
  • 2 big handfuls of smoked catfish, soaked and deboned
  • 1 big handful of stockfish, soaked and shredded
  • 1 big handful of fresh tilapia or catfish pieces
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 glasses of water

Method

  1. 01

    Grating the Water Yam. Peel the water yam wearing gloves — the sap can cause skin irritation. Rinse. Grate on the fine side of a box grater. The grated water yam will be very sticky and viscous — almost like a paste. This stickiness is essential to Ikokore. Season the grated yam lightly with salt and a pinch of crayfish. Set aside.

  2. 02

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat 3 cooking spoons of palm oil in a wide, deep pot over medium heat. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add the blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until deeply cooked and oil floats on top.

  3. 03

    Building the Broth. Add the smoked catfish, stockfish, fresh fish pieces, ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt to the fried pepper. Add 3 glasses of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes to develop the broth.

  4. 04

    Adding the Grated Water Yam. This is the key step. Drop spoonfuls of the grated water yam into the simmering broth — similar to dropping dumplings. Do not stir immediately. Allow the yam spoonfuls to cook in the broth for 5 minutes, then gently stir them in. The grated yam will dissolve into the broth, thickening it dramatically and creating the characteristic sticky, viscous Ikokore consistency.

  5. 05

    Final Cooking. Cook on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes, until the water yam is fully cooked and the porridge is thick, slightly slimy in the best way, deeply seasoned and very aromatic. Taste and adjust all seasonings. Serve hot.

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