Yam Balls -Stuffed Yam Balls

Last Updated on June 19, 2019

Yam ball is another homemade snack loved by Nigerians and it is very popular in Ghana too.

My mum taught me how to make this simple but delicious  yam balls. Any time we have cooked yam leftovers, you can be assured that she’s going to make yam balls. I have made today’s recipe as my mum would make hers. She doesn’t stuff her yam balls and she has only ever used canned sardines. She would mix the flaked fish with the well seasoned mashed yam and form into balls.

Yam ball is very easy to make and very versatile too. It can be made vegetarian, you can add all sort of goodies to it to make it to your personal preference. One of the ingredients which is important in achieving a crunchy yam ball is breadcrumbs. In the absence of breadcrumbs, you can use flour but I always use breadcrumbs for the golden and crunchy effect.

Yam balls can be eaten as snacks, or main meal depending on the amount you eat at a time. You can also serve it as a starter when hosting a dinner party. It is suitable for children’s lunch packs and it can be healthy when eaten in moderation.

What are you still waiting for? Let’s get cooking

Ingredients

Small tuber of yam

Sardine

Salt

Mixed peppers chopped (optional, I used my homemade hot sauce which will be available for sale soon)

Spring onions, chopped (optional)

Chilli flakes

Ground garlic, (optional)

Seasoning

Dried or fresh parsley

2 eggs

Breadcrumbs

Butter

Vegetable oil for frying

How to make yam balls

Peel the yam and cut into small chunks, rinse till clean, add to a pan, add enough water to cover it. Add salt to taste and bring to boil till soft.

While you are waiting on the yam to boil,

Separate the egg yolk from white (put in a separate bowl)

Drain the oil from the sardine if using sardines in sunflower

Check on the yam, once it is done, drain the water, add 2-3tbsp of butter and mash till smooth. (I don’t recommend using blender or food processor for this part as it makes the yam stretchy and that is not what you want)

Add the parsley, any other dry ingredients you will be using to the mashed yam, follow by the sardine and mix together till well combined (you can use your hand to mix if you want) check for salt and seasoning and adjust accordingly

Add the yolks and mix to combine

Proceed to add finely chopped mixed peppers or homemade hot sauce to the mashed yam and mix again to combine.

Whisk the reserved egg white till well combined.

At this point, you can choose to put the oil on the stove or wait till you are done moulding the yam balls.

Mould the mashed yam to small balls, dip into the whisked egg white and then into the bread crumbs. Place on a clean plate, repeat this process till you have exhausted the mashed yam

Place a shallow pan on high heat if you haven’t done so before. Add vegetable oil and heat till hot. Test the oil to be sure it’s hot enough. Add a tiny drop of the mashed yam or egg white and if it floats to the top then the oil is ready to use.

Drop the yam balls into the hot oil carefully, do not overcrowd the oil and fry till golden brown. Place on a kitchen towel to drain oil.

Repeat process for all the yam balls. Serve immediately or allow to cool. You can have it with salad, hot sauce or just on its own.

I ran out of breadcrumbs and I was too lazy to make another batch, so I used flour to coat the remaining yam balls. I think I prefer the one with breadcrumbs tho

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, it makes me a happy bunny and don’t forget to take a pic of your food. Tag @myactivekitchen when you do. See you on my next post. x