Making Wasawasa from scratch

 

WASAWASA RECIPE

Wasawasa! A couscous-like meal made from yam flour is one of my favorite street foods growing up in Tamale. In fact, the vendors in school knew my order when I showed up;“wasawasa, gbana (wele, kpomo), talia ni shito” lool. Every part of the yam is used in making the flour, which reduces food wastage. The yam is chopped into small pieces and then dried before pounding and then taken to the mill to grind. You can use a blender if you have one powerful enough. Ensure that you sieve the flour to separate large particles, which could affect the final textures you have.
Legends have it wasawasa can only be made in super hygienic conditions, if not, there will be lots of clumps. Some even say it will not be as dark as it should be – I can neither confirm nor deny if this is true or false. I love this meal so much that I knew I had to learn how to make it from my neighbor, Hajia! It is a beautiful labour of love, so here it goes:
Course Main Course
Cuisine Ghanaian
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Steaming pot (can substitute for a pot and metal colander or a perforated pan)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups yam flour
  • 1/3 a cup of water
  • Salt to taste
  • Any good cooking Oil.

Instructions
 

  • Get a pot of water going on medium heat (you want this to start to boil when you are ready to steam your yam flour mix)
  • Sieve your flour to get rid of any unwanted debris (the flour I used was milled in a public mill used of groundnuts, corn etc., so it is inevitable there will be residues in it)
  • Pour the sieved yam flour into a big bowl and gradually add tiny amounts of water in. You want to mix it thoroughly in circular motion aiming for the flour and water mixture to turn into small grains like couscous.
  • Do not be heavy on the water but if you are, you can adjust by adding more flour.
  • Be patient because this can take up to 10 minutes. To speed up the process, you can shake the bowl! This part requires lots of patience till you get that texture (like video above)
  • Get the second part of your steamer/colander on the boiling water and pour the mixture in and cover it for 15 minutes, staring gentle after the first 10 minutes. You can create a makeshift steamer but perforating holes into any metal bowl you have.
  • After 15 minutes, check and fluff it ensuring all parts have been cooked in steam and there is no flour left.
  • After 5 minutes, take it off the fire and rinse in cold water to allow any unwanted particles that may still be in to come up to the surface, and to take any bitterness that yam can sometimes have. The water also helps to break any clumps that may have formed. You may have to wash it twice till the water is clear.
  • Let it drain for a few minutes till almost dry, then add 3 teaspoons of oil, salt to taste and mix.
  • Get the mixture back into the steam pot/colander and back on the boiling pot of water.
  • To keep the steam in, you can put a clean kitchen cloth/ parchment paper over the steamer before covering. After another 10 – 12 minutes, your wasawasa is ready to be served.
  • Serve with shito and all the trimmings you want (spaghetti, cooked black eyed beans,chopped lettuce/ cabbage, onions etc. and any protein of choice!

Notes

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also enjoy our Zonkom (Spicy Millet Drink) Recipe.
Recipe by Sugru of www.sugruinthekitchen.com
You can find more about her here
Did you find this recipe helpful? Let me know what you think in the comments.
Keyword Wasawasa, Yam peels
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