Small Chops

Ojojo

Name: Ojojo
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 600 g water yam (isu ewura) (peeled weight); 80 g onion (very finely chopped); 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (finely chopped; reduce to taste); 1 tbsp ground dried crayfish (optional); 0.5 tsp fine salt; 1 litre neutral frying oil (or enough for a 5 cm depth in a deep pan)

Crisp fried spoonfuls of grated water yam seasoned with onion, pepper, and optional crayfish. Ojojo belongs to the Ijebu repertoire alongside ikokore and ebiripo. Sisi Yemmie recalls it as a childhood food, while Omolabake’s Ounje Aladun describes it with eko or Ijebu garri. Its binding comes from grated water yam itself, allowing the fritters to hold together without an egg-and-flour coating. Cultural context: An Ijebu/Yoruba water-yam snack. Sweet-potato or flour-bound versions are adaptations and are not used here.

Ọ̀jọ̀jọ̀_(Yam_Fritters).jpg by Aderiqueza, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

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25 minPreparation

25 minCooking

4Servings

What you’ll need

4 servings

600 g water yam (isu ewura)peeled weight
80 g onionvery finely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepperfinely chopped; reduce to taste
1 tbsp ground dried crayfishoptional
0.5 tsp fine salt
1 litre neutral frying oilor enough for a 5 cm depth in a deep pan

Let’s get cooking

1
Rinse the peeled yam, pat dry, and grate it into a fine sticky paste. Use the smallest grater holes and a hand guard; a coarse shred will not bind as well.
2
Mix in the onion, pepper, salt, and optional crayfish. Do not squeeze out the yam liquid or add water.
3
Heat the oil to around 170–175°C in a heavy deep pan that is no more than half full.
4
Lower in a small rounded tablespoon of mixture and fry for 6–8 minutes, turning, until golden. Open this test fritter: the middle should be tender and set, with no wet raw yam.
5
Fry the remaining mixture in small batches using the same-sized spoonfuls. Leave room between pieces and allow the oil to recover its heat between batches.
6
Drain on a rack or paper and serve hot, by itself or with separately prepared eko or garri.

A little kitchen wisdom

Makes about 16 small fritters, four per serving. If the outside darkens too fast, reduce heat and make smaller fritters. Never test frying oil with water. Timing: active preparation 25 min; cooking 25 min; additional passive time 0 min; conservative planning allowance 50 min. Some stages may overlap. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Water-yam fritters

An Ijebu/Yoruba water-yam snack. Sweet-potato or flour-bound versions are adaptations and are not used here.

Allergens: Crustacean shellfish if crayfish is used

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Small Chops

Ojojo

Ọ̀jọ̀jọ̀_(Yam_Fritters).jpg by Aderiqueza, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

25 minPreparation

25 minCooking

4Servings

What you’ll need

4 servings

600 g water yam (isu ewura)peeled weight
80 g onionvery finely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepperfinely chopped; reduce to taste
1 tbsp ground dried crayfishoptional
0.5 tsp fine salt
1 litre neutral frying oilor enough for a 5 cm depth in a deep pan

Let’s get cooking

1
Rinse the peeled yam, pat dry, and grate it into a fine sticky paste. Use the smallest grater holes and a hand guard; a coarse shred will not bind as well.
2
Mix in the onion, pepper, salt, and optional crayfish. Do not squeeze out the yam liquid or add water.
3
Heat the oil to around 170–175°C in a heavy deep pan that is no more than half full.
4
Lower in a small rounded tablespoon of mixture and fry for 6–8 minutes, turning, until golden. Open this test fritter: the middle should be tender and set, with no wet raw yam.
5
Fry the remaining mixture in small batches using the same-sized spoonfuls. Leave room between pieces and allow the oil to recover its heat between batches.
6
Drain on a rack or paper and serve hot, by itself or with separately prepared eko or garri.