My Grandma was one hell of a cook. Geez, that woman could throw it down real good in the kitchen. Despite the fact that she had some weird food allergies, like any kind of vegetable oil, she stuck with what she could tolerate and she made it well. Ikokore is a special dish of the Ijebu people of Nigeria and it really is a truly amazing dish. Something extra, extra special that can be served on its own or eaten with cold Eba (garri).
Ikokore is basically a savoury yam porridge, but unlike the classic Yam porridge we all know, Ikokore or Ifokore is made with another specie of Yam called Water yam. This yam is very hairy, and when cut the surface is very slimy. The water yam is grated and cooked in a very rich and delicious pepper and fishy stock till it cooks and forms lumps. My joy knew no bounds when my mum brought a big tuber of Water Yam. I remember it was one of the very first things I asked about as soon as I opened her luggage. Water Yam is so very rare to source where I live. Till date, I have never been able to buy one. If you are reading this and you have been able to get one in London and the surrounding areas, please, please tell me where. I have gone through 3 quarters of the tuber now and I am so sad to see it finish. The next bit will be used for Ojojo. Water Yam is also used to prepare a famous Ijebu snack called Ojojo. Ojojo is so delicious and addictive, I can’t wait to blog about it.
The last time I had ojojo was over 6 years ago, and it was a huge pleasure to stand beside Mummy while she cooked this. This is a combination of her Mum’s and her Aunty’s recipe. Both women have passed on now, but I am sure they will be proud to know their legacy lives on, in many ways than one. If there is an Ijebu person or family of the person you want to really really impress, you just prepare Ikokore for them and watch them smile and praise you with delight. Cooking is a super power people, use it. Lol
You wil need
Water yam
Eja Kika – smoked fish
Eja Sawa or Eja Agbodo – another specie of smoked fish
Iru – Alhaja’s recipe
2 pieces of Tatashe – red bell pepper
2 pieces of Ata rodo – scotch bonnet or habanero pepper
Beef Stock
Palm OIl
Crayfish
Salt
Seasoning cube – knorr chicken cube preferred
How To
1. Blend the tatashe and rodo and bring it to boil to thicken it. While it cooks……..
2. Cut the water yam and peel.
hairy water yam
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: don’t bother cutting the yam into rings like you would with regular yam, or you will waste it. I made that mistake and my mum corrected me. Instead, stand the yam up, and gently peel the skin off with downward strokes, and cut the peeled yam into thick irregular shaped chunks that will make it easier to grate
3. Grate the yam with the side of the grater shown in the picture
WARNING: water yam has the tendency to cause an itchy reaction if it touches any part of your body save for your hands of course. I don’t know why but it does, so be careful when grating and don’t allow any part of it to touch the rest of your body. If by accident it does, rub palm oil on the affected area and it will stop the itch.
Grate all the water yam and set aside. if it discolours a little bit, you don’t worry, that is the nature of water yam, it doesn’t affect the taste.
4. Get out your different types of smoked fish, clean and tear into bite sized pieces.
Eja Agbodo – smoked
Eja Kika – smoked
Clean the iru and blend.
5. Heat up one or two cooking spoons of Palm oil, add the blended pepper, sprinkle in Knorr chicken cubes
fry till it thickens further and bubbly dots form on the surface
6. Add a big serving of beef stock, about 3 -4 cups full or even more, and add all the chunks of smoked fish (depending on how much grated water yam that you have) and bring to a boil. Ensure that it boils properly as if you are trying to make stew. Taste it after it boils and add a little sat.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: just a little salt, not enough to season it. If you used beef stock, don’t add any salt at all.
7. Using a Sieve spoon or cooking spoon to sieve out all the fish you added in the Step above. Mummy’s Cooking Tip: this is to prevent the fish from burning because it will sink to the bottom of the pot after you add the grated yam. It also has the tendency to disintegrate further with the juggling motion of the bubbling pot.
8. Wit your the contents of the pot bubbling away, season the grated water yam with a little salt. Remember that you have added a little salt to the pepper stock, the remaining salt in the water yam is to finish it off. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: water yam can be quite tricky. You can grate a tuber and the resulting content is very light, watery and not slimy or stretchy. if this happens, Mummy says grate a little okro and add to it, which will provide the slime you will need. On the other hand, you can grate a tuber and the resulting content is very hard (especially if the yam is dry). If this is what you get, not to worry, just dilute with a little water till it becomes more fluid. Just a little water though – i.e. start with a teeny bit and mix with your fingers. If it is still thick, add more water and mix again. Repeat this process if necessary till you get a slimy, smooth flowing water yam mixture.
9. With the water yam in the right consistency, add it to the bubbling pot in very big lumps/balls and lower the heat.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: you need to add it in big lumps so that some will dissolve into the stock forming a creamy consistency while others will form semi sold balls. This is Ifokore. If you add the water yam in small balls, everything will dissolve into the stock turning to baby food. Think of Yam porridge. You have some lumpy bits of yam, while the rest forms a creamy texture.. The same applies to Ikokore.
10. After about 10 minutes, stir carefully with a wooden spoon. NOT A metal cooking spoon please, so as not to break apart the lumpy bits. When you can see that the lumpy bits have thickened and the rest of the stock is now of a creamy consistency, (but not liquidy) re-introduce the fish that you sieved out back to the pot and stir carefully. Let this cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.
11. Add in ground crayfish and stir carefully again. Let it cook for 2 minutes and then taste for salt. You may or may not need to add salt.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: a cooking tip that I always share is this. Always add crayfish last when you are using it in a dish. This gives your dish an extra kick that is felt immediately you taste it. The flavour of crayfish is easily destroyed by heat, so remember to finish your dish by adding crayfish, even if you had added it in previous steps. Crayfish is also salty, so you may not need to add extra salt at this point. Making crayfish a healthy alternative to salt.
…………and here’s my Mummy’s delicious Ikokore. Honestly, this is so lick your plate good
Lumpy, delicious Ikokore. The Ijebu’s can eat this as it is or serve with cold Eba. Ewesooooo
Though I know how to make ikokore I shouted with joy when I saw u had put the recipe up cos I always learn something new from u,keep it up doonney……I have also llooked all over uk for the water yam to no avail,will let u know as soon as I know where they sell it..m…cheers
Hi Fumade, you are welcome. Please, please let me know if you find water yam in the UK. Someone once told me to check Asian stores.
Not sure where you live, but water yam is readily available in Upton Park and Dalston markets. Some supermarkets have even started stocking it as I’m sure i saw it in Morrisons the other day.
WHAT!!!! In Morrisons. Tell me more, tell me more. OMG. I am so excited. I will check there first before Upton park. I live close enough. THANKS
Hi I’m an Ijebu girl who was forced to eat Ifokore as a child and while all my sisters lurveee the thing I have always hated it (I have never met an Ijebu person that hates Ifokore, so that must mean something). I have not tasted it since I was a child and Im now 32, just seeing this makes me want to jump up and cook it myself! Im moving back home in a few weeks and thanks to you I think I owe it to my fellow Ijebu peops to give this another go. Thanks
PS: Never heard of you before today (saw your BN posting) I’m intrigued and I’m proud of you, weird eh? lol
Please give it a go o. Ehn, an Ijebu person that doesn’t like Ikokore. No o. Sacrilege. Lol. Don’t mind me please. You are allowed to not like some dishes, irrespective of tribe. I hope seeing my recipe will truly change your perceptions about it. Thank you for visiting the blog, and I hope you will become a regular visitor
Its always fascinating seeing the similarities in Nigerian cuisine from the different parts of the country. This looks so much like Ekpa nkwukwo without the leaves and the shellfish. Though I bet the taste is very different.
Yes it is similar. The taste will be different because of the different types of yam
Hi,
you can get water yam from Dustin market in London.
you can also drink gari with ikokore, and also eat it with emo (agidi in igbo)
well done and God bless.
Whoop, whoop. Dalston market right?
yes Dalston market. my sister came all the way from paris to get it there, so good luck dear.
Thanks for the tip. I am soooo happy
I have fund water yam in Ade’s African food store, which is in Charlton South East London. Peckham market is also full of the stuff.
Thank you Lizzfem. I have gone there before and did not find, but i will put them in mind again, when next I go
Thanks for uploading this recipe, I,m a real Ijebu person too, we have lots of water yams readily available in Asian store here in Houston Tx. I will definitely try this tomorrow, hope it turn out well. Lol.
Great. Lucky you to be able to find water yam readily. Please let me know how it turns out
In your ingredient, there was no tomato. How come you wrote Tomato in your Step 1? Do u mean blend tatase and rodo? What about onions?
Terrible error. Really sorry about the confusion. I meant Tatashe and rodo. You don’t ground Onions for Ikokore. I will edit the post now. Thank you for pointing that out
Hi Dooney, d ikokore i grew up with always have onions in d ingredients (recipe passed down frm my great grand mother), it adds to d flavour and aroma. U shuld try it. Cheers.
I would. Thanks Adeyemi for the tip
thanks for this, I having been wanting to delight my spouse with a plate of ikokore, I love treating my spouse to different dishes every now and then. with your recipe off i go to the kitchen to delight my man and I bet tonight is gonna be hot.
Looooooool.
Hi guys! If you want water yam there are a few stores that sell it in deptford market. And also some in Peckham market. Happy cooking!
Thanks for the tips
Hey Dunni. So Tolu Adeniran told me about your blog and I’m like which Dunni? Physiotherapy? She was too quiet in school!!!
I’m so excited about your blog as I’m a lover of food blogs. I’ve been asked to quit residency and become a house wife as I love cooking.
This is just to say hi and I will definitely be preparing some of ur meals. Are your on Instagram?
Aaaaaaw, thank you for reaching out Fikayo. Yes, I am @dooneyskitchen
Hi Dunni, Good job! have you tried using ogiri in Ikokore, instead of iru? That’s the recipe my grandmother and mum taught me. It’s gives it a wonderful flavor.
Oh yes, I use ogiri too, I discovered that recently. Thanks
I know this is so late considering you posted it last year, but I know where you can get wateryam if you haven’t found a place yet. There’s an african store called Ades cash and carry in charlton, South East. They sell everything, I know cuz I work there lol.
Ogiri is missing from this recipe. Its the traditional spice / flavouring for ikokore!
hmmmm thanks for posting this, my hubby have been disturbing me to prepare it for him and i dont know how to go about it cos i am igbo woman and also my hubby but he love ifokore so much. all thanks to you i will try it right a way!
Wow, thanks for this great recipe, my husband is an ijebu man and has been asking for this food since we got married, am so trying it tomorrow.
Off to make mine.
Dunni, thanks for the recipe, I’m just rounding this up in kitchen, can’t wait to taste it… For the records I included onions in mine and replaced beef/chicken with gizzard.. Yum
Tried it, Awesome thanks