Street Food Diaries

Hello Foodies Bee Hive Community 😍

This evening I did something very simple for dinner but yet so satisfying; roadside fried yam and chicken. It’s usually sold by the roadside especially in the evenings in Nigeria. I was tired of eating my usual homemade food and decided to go for the smoky, street side fried yam and flavorful fried chicken and honestly? No regrets! 💃🏼

This is what fried yam looks like.

A picture of me earlier today

I worked from home today and I was so lazy to make dinner. And on the spot I thought to eat fried yam. I took a walk to the vendors stand and at the time I got there she had already fried some yams but I love my fried yam hot and crispy. So I waited for her to fry a new set for me. Fried yam is usually sold along side other local finger foods like Akara (beans cake), fried plantain and potatoes and it’s usually served with pepper sauce, they also have various proteins to fit into ones choice or budget.

Fried yam ft Akara 😁

Fried yam is prepared by;

1. Peeling and slicing the yam in strips. If it’s too thin it will be too dry and crispy and if it’s too thick it won’t cook well in the middle, so slice it moderately.

2. Wash and soak in salted water for about 10 minutes. Then you drain it properly after that. Although, some persons usually precook the yam before frying. So either way is correct.

3. Heat up vegetable oil in a pan and add onions for flavor and a nice aroma (optional)

4. Once your oil is hot, add yams in batches and allow it to fry properly till it’s crispy. Some people prefer theirs to be golden, it’s your choice 😊

5. After frying each batch, drain with paper towel to reduce the oil.

If you follow these steps you’ll make yourself a plate of crispy fried yam.
And don’t wonder how I know the steps. I’m a Nigerian and fried yam is a popular food served anytime of the day. I prepare it myself at home sometimes but trust me sometimes, roadside vendors’ fried yams hits hard 🤤

Back to my evening 🤭 So after the vendor prepared my order, I went to the protein section and selected chicken drumsticks and that was my first time trying chicken from a roadside vendor in my current location and I really enjoyed it.

This is just a sub-section of the protein section.

After paying for my food, I went to a supermarket nearby to get a cold drink. I grabbed a cold drink, got home and enjoyed my the moment. After eating, I’ve been surfing the internet and proceeded to write this.

The drink I got.

In conclusion, to me, I feel it mustn’t be a fine dining before a meal is enjoyed or called “proper meal”. I’m not really a fan of roadside food but I find myself going there for fried yam, not like I can’t prepare it but there’s this vibe the roadside fried yam gives 😄

Have you had fried yams before? If you’ve not, would you try it? You can also tell me your favorite roadside food in the comments; I’ll be reading 😘

PS: All images are mine.