Amala and Ewedu — Print Recipe

Smooth, dark yam flour dough (amala) served with silky, mucilaginous jute leaf soup and a side of rich stew — the ultimate Yoruba comfort meal.

Ingredients

1 Boil water for amala. Reduce heat and gradually pour in yam flour, stirring vigorously with a turning stick to avoid lumps.
2 Continue stirring until the dough is smooth, firm, and pulls away from the pot. Cover and steam for 2 minutes.
3 For ewedu: wash jute leaves, boil with a pinch of potash for 10 minutes until soft.
4 Blend or whisk the cooked leaves to a smooth, slimy consistency.
5 Return ewedu to pot, add crayfish, bouillon, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
6 Serve amala in a mound with ewedu soup poured beside it. Add stew on the other side.

Did You Know?

True amala devotees eat with their hands, rolling a small ball of amala and dipping it into the ewedu — and they insist it tastes better that way.