African Yam Balls

Name: African Yam Balls (Yele Kakro)
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen balls
Cuisine: Western
Ingredients: A few tablespoons flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 3 medium tomatoes; 4 cups peeled and chopped African yams (about 2 pounds); 1 large or 2 small onions, minced; ¼ cup vegetable oil plus enough for deep-frying; ½ teaspoon dried thyme or a similar herb; ½ teaspoon dried thyme or a similar herb; ½ teaspoon dried ground red pepper (or to taste); ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Yele Kakro

Preparation info

Makes about
2 dozen
balls

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Ghana Cookbook

By Fran Osseo-Asare and Barbara Baëta

Published 2015

About

Like many flexible Ghanaian/West African recipes, there is plenty of room for improvisation in making yam balls, especially with seasonings. Fresh puna yams from Ghana are especially nice (do not use the yams or sweet potatoes commonly found in U.S. markets).

Ingredients

4 cups peeled and chopped African yams (about 2 pounds)
3 medium tomatoes

Africa
Ghana
Starter
Vegetarian

Method

Directions

Prepare vegetables

Put the yam cubes into a large pot and cover with water (and add a little salt, if desired). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until soft, about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.
While the yams cook, scald the tomatoes in boiling water and then plunge them into c