Ojojo is a popular street snack that is very common among the Yorubas; it is one of the easiest finger foods that bring back childhood memories. Ojojo is specifically made with water yam and veggies stuffed inside. Ojojo is also called by some people water yam akara this is because it looks exactly like the Nigerianakara, the only difference is the colour and drawey texture; however, some other people are familiar with the name Yam fritter.
If you have never eaten any water yam recipes before, it will be nice to start with Ojojo, this crunchy yam fritters are indeed easy to make in the comfort of your home; all you need is your fresh water yam and very few veggies and seasonings. I love to have Ojojo with custard, but you can still pair it with pap or oatmeal or enjoy ojojo just the way it is like your regular snacks.
When making ojojo, it is best you use the old or much matured water yam, the newly harvested water yams have higher water content than the old yam. The nature of yam you use will definitely affect the outcome of your Ojojo snack.
Most times, when you scoop the grated paste in to the oil, the yam scatters and fall apart in the oil; this is simply due to the watery nature of the yam. However, if you cant get the older water yam with less water content, you can still make use of the new yam, but after grating the yam, you will need to leave it in the fridge for a while so that it will get cold and firm up before frying the paste in oil. This is just my simple advice for perfect rounded ojojo balls. You can also see here how to makes water yam porridge (Ikokore).
Water yams are of different species, there are some that turn brown immediately after peeling, while some dont, I think I was really lucky to get the very white water yam even after peeling and grating, it still remained white; so dont panic if you see your water yam changing colour.
Also, note that water yams are very slimy in nature especially after you have peeled and deepen in water, you may want to wipe them with some paper towel for easy handling before grating into paste. Read the steps below on how to make water yam fritters (Ojojo) and check out the Video above.
Table of Contents
Ojojo Ingredients
- 1 medium sized water yam
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 stick of spring onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of all-purpose seasoning
- Salt to taste
- Enough oil for frying ojojo
Ingredients for making ojojo
Steps on How to Prepare Ojojo
- Peel off the water yam skin using a knife, cut into chunks and rinse in water.
- Use hand held grater with tiny holes to grate the yam chunks into a bowl.
- Season the water yam paste with all-purpose seasoning, onions, spring onions, pepper and salt.
- Using your hand, mix the yam paste thoroughly until all the seasonings and the veggies are incorporated.
- On a medium- high heat, heat up oil in a pan deep enough to fry all the water yam paste.
- Once the oil is heated, use your fingers to scoop the water yam paste forming a ball with the paste and gently drop in the hot oil.
- Repeat this process multiple times and dont over crowd the pan, fry each side of water yam balls for 3 minutes, and then use a slotted spoon to flip the balls to the next side to fry as well.
- Once you notice the edges turning slightly brown and the balls looks crisp on the outside, it means they are fried. Remove the water yam from the oil and drain on paper towels, repeat the same process with the remaining water yam paste until you are done with everything.
- Ojojo is ready, serve hot with Custard or Akamu.
Simple Steps to Make Ojojo with Pictures
1. Peel off the water yam skin using a knife, cut into chunks and rinse in water.
2. Use hand held grater with tiny holes to grate the yam chunks into a bowl.
Grating water yam for ojojo
3. Season the water yam paste with all-purpose seasoning, onions, spring onions, pepper and salt.
Season the grated water yam with few ingredients to taste
4. Using your hand, mix the yam paste thoroughly until all the seasonings and the veggies are incorporated.
Once you have mixed the yam paste properly, this is how it should be
5. On a medium- high heat, heat up oil in a pan deep enough to fry all the water yam paste.
6. Once the oil is heated, use your fingers to scoop the water yam paste forming a ball with the paste and gently drop in the hot oil.
Frying of ojojo in oil
7. Repeat this process multiple times and dont over crowd the pan, fry each side of water yam balls for 3 minutes, and then use a slotted spoon to flip the balls to the next side to fry as well.
Once they start to get brown edges, they are fried, remove from oil and drian
8. Once you notice the edges turning slightly brown and the balls looks crisp on the outside, it means they are fried. Remove the water yam from the oil and drain on paper towels, repeat the same process with the remaining water yam paste until you are done with everything.
Delicious Ojojo, crunchy on the out side but soft on the inside
Ojojo served with Custard
Ojojo recipe (water yam fritters)