8 Nigerian Sauce for Boiled yam to consider for variety meal

Yam is one of the staple foods in Nigeria. It is eaten boiled, fried or roasted; it can also be prepared as a porridge or cooked in a combination with beans. Yams are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre; they are also high in potassium and manganese, which are important for supporting bone health, growth, metabolism, and heart function.

Boiled yam is very easy to prepare and also very nutritious compared to its roasted and fried state. More so, it is very delicious to eat, especially when it is eaten with sauce. These are some of the best sauces that are suitable for eating yam in Nigeria.

Plain Palm Oil

Plain Palm Oil is one of the most popular sauces used in eating yam, especially white or roasted yam. One reason for its popularity is the readily available palm oil and its nutritional value. While some eat the yam with palm oil plain without salt, others sprinkle salt and sometimes add chopped onions and dried grounded pepper.

Egg Sauce

Yam and egg sauce is a very staple combination in Nigeria. It is often considered as a food eaten by a select few (the rich); that’s just a bias as it is a food many love to eat. It is also very easy to prepare. It is made with eggs, tomatoes, peppers, onions and vegetable oil. Some people add corned beef or shredded fish to theirs to spice up the taste.

Fried Palm Oil Stew (Ata Dindin)

The ever-green traditional ‘ata-dindin’ is undoubtedly one sauce that lingers in your memory. It is made with palm oil, tomatoes, fresh chilli pepper, dried fish, onions and other spices. Chopped beef, chicken, boiled egg or any meat of your choice can be added.

Fish Sauce

Fish sauce is another sauce very popular in modern places in Nigeria to eat yam. Unlike Ata dindin which is popular with palm oil, fish sauce is made with vegetable or groundnut oil, combined with pepper, tomatoes and onions. The fish used is shredded into the stew, giving it a delightful taste.

Garden Egg Sauce

Garden Egg Stew (also known as aubergine stew or Nigerian eggplant sauce) is one of those delicious recipes to enjoy with boiled yam. In fact it is a more popular combination in South Eastern Nigerian than any other region in the country. The main ingredients are garden egg, chilli pepper, tomatoes, onions, spices, palm oil, crayfish, dried fish, pomo (optional), etc.

Ofada Sauce

Sounds strange? However, it isn’t. Ofada stew, also known as ayamase stew or designer stew, is a delectable Nigerian stew made with palm oil, locust beans (iru), green, and red bell peppers. It is also very rich in meat – having different parts of beef, egg and sometimes, Smoked Round Panla Fish (eja kika).

Pepper Soup

This is a delicacy popular in the Southern part of Nigeria, it is called yam pepper soup. Unlike the other sauces, the yam is boiled together with the pepper soup. This delicacy is good for people who are under the weather, especially from the common cold or flu. In some parts of Nigeria, it is usually the food given to a nursing mother who recently gave birth.

Vegetable Sauce

Yam is also eaten with any kind of vegetable sauce as preferred by the person who wants it. Pumpkin Leaves, Spinach, Waterleaf, Utazi, Uziza, etc are some of the vegetables used. Different tribes in Nigeria have their specific ways of preparing their. Irrespective of which vegetable, yam goes deliciously with them.