Dancing in Fried Yams

Learn how to cook buttermilk fried yams for the best fried Hausa yam recipe ever. Yams fried in egg batter and buttermilk with simple spices tastes incredibly good so make and share this fried Hausa yam recipe.

Buttermilk Fried Yams

The Yam Belt, also known as the Yam Zone, is an area in West Africa where yams are a major staple crop. The Yam Belt spans across several countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Cote d'Ivoire. Yams are tuberous vegetables that are an important source of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and essential minerals in the African diet. In the Yam Belt, yams are grown for both domestic consumption and export, and they play a crucial role in the economic and cultural life of the region. The Yam Belt is characterized by a humid tropical climate, with rainfall ranging from 1,000mm to 2,000mm per year. The soil in the region is typically well-drained, fertile, and rich in organic matter. Yams are usually grown as a rain-fed crop, although irrigation is sometimes used in areas with less reliable rainfall. In the Yam Belt, yams are typically grown using traditional farming techniques, such as slash-and-burn agriculture and intercropping. Yams are planted at the beginning of the rainy season and harvested about nine months later. Yams can be stored for several months after harvest, which makes them an ideal crop for subsistence farmers who need to feed their families throughout the year.

When you fry yams it helps to coat it in buttermilk egg batter because it helps to retain some of the yams moisture while forming a crispy and golden brown shell.

Buttermilk Fried Yams

Ingredients

3 medium sized yam
2 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

In a large pot boil yam, it is easier to peal yams after boiling, and then slice into French fry sized pieces.

In a large frying pan heat oil. Whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, and spices. Add the flour to the milk mixture and mix until flour is incorporated. 

Place small amount of yams at a time into the egg flour mixture and add to your hot oil.

Fry until brown each side. Drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil and serve just as you would French fries or onion rings.

Did you know

What you call a yam is most likely a sweet potato. Yams and sweet potatoes are both flowering plants however, that is their only relation. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier. Uganda leads the way in the production of sweet potatoes representing half the African supply followed by Nigeria and Tanzania. The yam belt of West Africa includes Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Central Africa, Cameroon and Togo, Nigeria alone produces 71 percent of the yams.