Yam and Fish Balls

This one's for all the yam fans out there. I personally have never really liked yam except it's fried or pounded. Infact one of the worst punishments I served as a child was when my mum forced me to eat boiled yam and stew, it was like asking me to eat fire wood. I hated it so much and when you really hate a particular food that's when my mum decides to cook it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you dare not waste or else her dreaded cane will pay you a visit. Looking back now, I know she was just trying to teach us not to be picky or wasteful, her cane instilled the fear of God in us though and now as an adult, I can't stand picky or wasteful people. As much as my mum didn't want me to be picky, she also loved me too much to subject me to eating boiled yam all the time so she discovered a way to boil it, fry it and also enrich it with one of my favourite proteins in the world, Fish. The first time she prepared yam and fish balls, I remember the aroma wafting through the house, it was heavenly. When I finally tasted it, words could not express how I felt at that moment. Have you ever tasted something so good that your eyes water? Well maybe it only happens to me because of my love for good food (yeah I'm weird like that). Anyway when my mum saw how much we loved it, she knew the yam wasting days were over, smart woman my mum. So I told myself that if I happened to get married to someone who isn't a big yam fan, I had a recipe in my food armory that will knock his socks off. Fortunately I didn't have to worry about that because my husband turned out to be one of the biggest yam fans I've ever met. He can eat it boiled, fried, pounded, marshed, just name it, so long as it has yam in it, he's game. So I made yam and fish balls for him and I could have sworn I saw him levitate when he tasted it ( maybe I was seeing things) but people do weird things when they're enjoying a good meal though. My friend Vera has itchy ears when she's enjoying her food, so you see my watery eyes aren't so weird afterall (Shout out to Vera, CEO VeraNora Couture, love you boo). So yam fans, non-yam fans hope you enjoy this meal.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

1) Yam ( 3 large round slices)

2) Fresh fish ( Any fresh fish or 2 cans of sardine)

3) Salt ( to taste)

4) Ground dried pepper (to taste)

5) Curry (1 teaspoon)

6) Onion ( 1 medium bulb, chopped thinly)

7) Vegetable oil

8) Eggs (4)

PREPARATION

1) Peel and chop the yam in cubes ( as shown in the picture below). Wash yam to get rid of any sand and boil in salted water till it is soft ( this should take about 20 mins). Make sure the yam is properly cooked and if possible a little bit over cooked but not enough for it to start melting. The yam needs to be soft enough so it can easily be marshed.

2) While the yam is cooking, flake the fish using a fork ( if you're using sardine, do not include the oil because the balls will be deep fried so adding sardine oil will make them greasy).

3) When the yam is cooked, drain out any water left and marsh the yam in a bowl while it's hot using a potato marsh ( you can also use a mortar and piston to marsh the yam but be careful to stop pounding before it starts coming together because the idea is to marsh the yam and not to make pounded yam, that is why I prefer using a potato marsh because I know there won't be any chance of it forming pounded yam ). When it is completely marshed, remember it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, add all the seasonings,  add a little salt too. Add the flaked fish, chopped onions and mix with a spoon so everything blends well with the marshed yam.

4) Pre heat some oil in an electric deep fryer to about 250 degrees or if you don't have one, pour some oil in a pot till it's half full and heat ( the oil needs to be very hot so the  balls start frying immediately you drop them in, if the oil isn't  hot enough, they soak up the  oil). Whisk 2 eggs and add it to the yam mixture (this will help bind the yam). Whisk the remaining eggs and set aside.  Scoop some of the yam with your hands and gently roll into a ball ( be careful not to squeeze ) then dip it in the egg wash (the whisked eggs you set aside) and place on a flat plate. Do this for each ball, when placing the balls on the plate, make sure they don't touch each other becuase they'll stick and when you try to separate them they start falling apart. You will know the oil is hot enough when you put one ball in and it starts frying immediately. After frying, place on paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

Voila, you have your yam and fish balls. It can be served as a meal or a snack. Any excess can be refrigerated and eaten the next day ( I think it tastes even better after a day). Enjoy!!