Soups & Stews

Akidi na Ji (Akidi Beans and Yam)

Name: Akidi na Ji (Akidi Beans and Yam)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 170 min
Total time: 675 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 350 g dried akidi beans (small dark/reddish beans sold as akidi by a Nigerian grocer); 650 g white yam (peeled, 3 cm pieces); 300 g ripe tomatoes (chopped); 150 g onion (sliced); 200 g spinach (washed and chopped); 75 ml red palm oil; 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper (finely chopped); 1 small stock cube (optional); 1 tsp salt (divided); 2500 ml water (for cooking, plus separate soaking water); 500 ml additional hot water (top-up allowance)

Tender akidi and yam finished in a tomato, pepper and palm-oil sauce with greens. Akidi appears alongside ukwa, achicha and other familiar foods in accounts of Enugu cooking, but it has its own identity. Adorable Kitchen explicitly distinguishes it from fio fio, while Igbo cultural writing records combinations with yam, ugba or abacha. This recipe follows the yam route and the tomato-and-greens finish documented by Foodnify. The slow-softened beans hold their shape beside tender yam, then take on the sauce together. Buying the correct bean matters more than translating every dark bean in a shop as akidi. Cultural context: Akidi is documented in Igbo food sources as a small dark or reddish bean. Buy beans sold specifically as akidi; it is not another name for pigeon peas.

25 minPreparation

170 minCooking

6Servings

Allow 480 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 675 minutes.

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Pick through and rinse the beans. Soak in plenty of water for 8 hours in the refrigerator, then drain and rinse.
2
Cover with 2 litres fresh water and bring to a full boil for 10 minutes. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 80–110 minutes, or until the beans crush easily and have no hard centre. Replenish water as needed.
3
Add yam, half the salt and enough of the reserved water to cover the contents. Cook 20–25 minutes, until the yam is tender all the way through. Drain, saving 200 ml liquid.
4
Warm palm oil in a wide pot without smoking. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add tomatoes, pepper and optional stock cube. Stir over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and excess liquid evaporates.
5
Add spinach and cook 2–3 minutes. Fold in beans and yam, adding a little reserved liquid if dry. Heat together for 5 minutes, adjust salt and serve.

A little kitchen wisdom

Cooking time depends strongly on the age and type of beans. This is a tomato-and-spinach home version, not a claim that all Enugu akidi contains tomatoes. Timing estimate: active preparation 25 min; cooking 170 min; additional passive time 480 min; conservative planning allowance 675 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research formulation; not kitchen-tested. Allergen checks: Check optional stock cube label

Recipe notes & sources

Research formulation; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Akidi and yam

Akidi is documented in Igbo food sources as a small dark or reddish bean. Buy beans sold specifically as akidi; it is not another name for pigeon peas.

Allergens: Check optional stock cube label

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Akidi na Ji (Akidi Beans and Yam)

25 minPreparation

170 minCooking

6Servings

Allow 480 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 675 minutes.

What you’ll need

6 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Pick through and rinse the beans. Soak in plenty of water for 8 hours in the refrigerator, then drain and rinse.
2
Cover with 2 litres fresh water and bring to a full boil for 10 minutes. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 80–110 minutes, or until the beans crush easily and have no hard centre. Replenish water as needed.
3
Add yam, half the salt and enough of the reserved water to cover the contents. Cook 20–25 minutes, until the yam is tender all the way through. Drain, saving 200 ml liquid.
4
Warm palm oil in a wide pot without smoking. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, then add tomatoes, pepper and optional stock cube. Stir over medium heat for 10–12 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and excess liquid evaporates.
5
Add spinach and cook 2–3 minutes. Fold in beans and yam, adding a little reserved liquid if dry. Heat together for 5 minutes, adjust salt and serve.

A little kitchen wisdom

Recipe notes & sources

Research formulation; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Akidi and yam

Akidi is documented in Igbo food sources as a small dark or reddish bean. Buy beans sold specifically as akidi; it is not another name for pigeon peas.

Allergens: Check optional stock cube label