Hello folks, half way through the first month of the new year. Time is flying by again, I hope your 2015 has started really good. I must say, mine is rocking so far. What you can achieve when you get rid of your inhibitions and let your creative juices flow will amaze you. See me asking for a healthy/vegetarian contributor for the blog, and in two weeks, I have managed to do it by myself. Thank you Lord for inspiration, for guidance, for the gift of intuition and most of all, Grace to do what I do. The response so far has been very good, and you guys do cheer me on with your kind words and comments. Thank you, Thank you.
So, The New Nigerian Cookery has truly been in motion this year so far. It really has been embraced, more than I ever imagined, honestly. Sometimes I ponder about legacy. Coming from someone with my heritage, especially my maternal grandfather’s legacy which is still relevant today, decades after he passed on, I have always wondered what mine would be. What I will look back and say I did with my life. There may be so many things wrong with Nigeria at the moment, as someone said, “there is a collective wave of hopelessness that has swept through the nation for decades”. We may not be able to do something about the state of affairs, but guess what, we are the generation that did something with our food. Something our mothers didn’t teach us, something their mothers didn’t teach them. Something our counterparts in developed countries have taken for granted for years. My mother always said, “it is when you wake up, that it is morning”. It is sweeter to say in Yoruba, but cripes, my written Yoruba is terrible, don’t let me derail the post. We will be known as the generation that passed on “sense and sensibility” in the kitchen. Many of you reading this post would be between the ages of 18 – 45. I can almost imagine you teaching your daughters and sons (sons, please. very important), how to perform all these handy tricks in the kitchen, and it becoming their own reality. Sadly, if things don’t improve, these tips would be the sole domain of the rich and middle class, and it really does make me sad sometimes. Like I wish I can ship container loads of blenders, and mixers and food processors and microwaves to all parts of the country and teach how to use them in schools and markets, of course, provided that the government ensures stable electricity. Story for another day!!
I follow Jamie Oliver on Instagram and his work on creating awareness for healthy meals for kids in schools, is truly inspiring. He can sit down with his millions and make more, but he is using his celebrity star power to make a difference. Beyond the blog, beyond the success of Dooney’s Kitchen in the future, that is what I would really love to do, Lord willing.
I am bringing you something else that furthers the cause of The New Nigerian Cookery. As far back as Feb 28, 2014, almost a year now, I put up a post about how to make pounded yam in a blender (HERE). In that post, I also listed all the devices that can be used. A stand mixer was one of them, and I put up a picture given to me by Hannah D. Despite having a mixer for months now, which I haven’t used by the way, except to blend beans and pepper (long story), last night I decided to try it, especially as bakers have been writing to me asking me if pounded yam could be made using a mixer as they really were not fussed about buying a food processor. You know me, you tell me to try something, I will. Can’t help myself. Lol. So, thanks to my baker friend Feyi, who had also done this last year and told me what attachment to use. I just smile when people tell me, google searches of pounded yam in a food processor brings up Dooney’s Kitchen at the top, that is one of my legacies. Adding another one to the list for you guys at Google – a stand mixer. This is so simple, just like the food processor, and mega fast, just because stand mixers tend to have more powerful engines than food processors. Any baker worried about their device, might I remind you that bread dough, meat pie dough and fondant are much heavier than pounded yam? So, your device will be just fine. If you make fondant every day with the thing, pounded yam is actually giving it a rest. Hehehehehehe.
I posted this on Instagram last night and the Facebook Page – another reason to please follow @dooneyskitchen or Like Dooney’s Kitchen on Facebook. The interaction from your fellow readers and followers is sheer comedy. No drama, I promise you. Just people who love to cook and appreciate Nigerian food. My device is a Kenwood Chef Premier KMC570. It is quite a pretty tidy sum, but any stand mixer will do. If you have a food processor, unless you want to take up baking, don’t start/continue a kitchen addiction gadget this year. I should take my own advice. Looool. Let’s mix
Yam boiled at the ready
attach the beater to the stand mixer – picture of beater below
and here is the process live and recorded
No lumps, no sweat, pour all the yams at once, just turn the dial and it happens literally in seconds
need more proof of how long it takes – see the video below
Scoop out your no stress pounded yam and enjoy life
Questions you may have
Which is better, stand mixer vs food processor – confidently tell you none is better than the other. I have been doing this for years now, no difference.
Did I add hot water – No. I used really good yam, and the yam cubes boiled soft enough, so it was fine. If you feel you need to add water, add a little and run the engine for a few more seconds
What attachment did I use – I used an attachment called the beater. Kenwood has a patented version called the ‘K beater”. Almost if not all stand mixers of any brand would have a beater attachment.
The attachments most, if not all stand mixers come with. From left to right. The beater (used for pounded yam and for creaming cake batter), the whisk (used for of course whisking, egg whites, bean batter for moin moin, akara, ekuru), the dough hook for making dough for breads, meat pie, fondant etc)
Where can you buy it – you don’t have to buy this particular model, other Kenwood models and other brans would still do the same thing. Most big electrical stores will sell a Stand mixer e.e.g where you bought your fridge, freezer or cooker. In Nigeria, online stores like konga.com, jumia.com and dealdey.com would have them for sale. Big shops like Cash and Carry in Lagos, Park and Shop and possibly Game and Shoprite may stock it. I don’t live in Nigeria, what I have written is to the best of my knowledge and wouldn’t be able to answer specific questions, like where can I get this in Damaturu, for example. If you live outside Nigeria, no, I really wouldn’t answer that question. Lol
Food Processor or Stand Mixer – I will say food processor. Way more versatile. Don’t go buying a stand mixer first because you watched the video. Use the money for a food processor instead. Depending on your financial circumstances, you may choose to buy a stand mixer too (hey, I did), but I will advice you get a cheap one, unless you are going to be using it and I mean really use it for baking, don’t buy one. I bought mine on ebay for almost 6 months and last night was the very first time I used the mixing bowl. I have used my food processor one hundred plus time since then. Case in point.
How do I attach the beater – watch the video again, you will see where I attached the beater. For all stand mixer, that is the same point for all attachments, or better still consult your manual, or watch an “assembling a stand mixer” video on YouTube
Can you do this using a hand mixer – yes you can, stay tuned for the video
Uju says
January 15, 2015 at 9:37 amThank you so much dearie…i don’t own a food processor or a stand mixer yet cos i never really baked, but now i think i’ll just get a food processor for a start. Hey it’s 2015, i might as well try out new things yea…like i did with this blog and boy am i enjoying it or what???….lool…
Suddie says
January 15, 2015 at 11:12 amI am super excited to see this post. I should try it sometimes, instead of the archaic way of pounding yam in a mortar and sweating profusely! kai! This is what I will brand,”Technology in the kitchen”.
Adedayo says
January 15, 2015 at 11:34 amCongrats and Weldone to our very own Dooneyrooney. Sky…your setting out point!
Shayo says
January 15, 2015 at 12:03 pmHmmmn Dunni, that’s how i went to buy a food processor just for the sake of making pounded yam o..before i could get to making pounded yam, i had used the blender that came with the fp, it worked, used the dry blender, it worked too…oya the day to finally pound yam came…thank God i had not boiled the yam but i had cooked the egusi, even told bae to expect yam and egusi…his mouth was already watering at the office.lol… hmmn..that middle stick (whats it called again sef?) mine is detachable, (i bought scanfrost food processor). when i assembled the fp, it didn’t work o.. i googled what could be wrong, watched videos on you tube sef…but most fps don’t come with detachable sticks..i think that’s where the problem is..when i try to fix it..it dsnt click, meaning it can fall off…i had to send bae a text that he should nor vex o…we are having rice for dinner…pls do you know what the problem could be?
dooneyrooney says
January 15, 2015 at 12:04 pmAaaaaw, no idea o. I have only ever used a Kenwood
Shayo says
January 15, 2015 at 12:08 pmThanks Dunni, please can anyone help?
Ms.Ijay says
January 15, 2015 at 12:42 pmYou stay slaying! Weldon and God bless you effort. Quick question though, I can use my food processor to blend the beans not just peel it right?
dooneyrooney says
January 15, 2015 at 1:00 pmThanks. Yes, use the knife blade. Most food processors come with a blender though
Adeyinka says
January 15, 2015 at 6:12 pmDooney I’m making this today… Since I have both stand mixer and food processor, I’d use both to see which gives the best result… See you in a few
dooneyrooney says
January 16, 2015 at 1:06 amFantastic. Love the experiment
omolola says
January 16, 2015 at 4:25 amWeldone dearie. Dis post is jst for me! One of my goals dis year is to become a 21st century cook wt all d modern gadgets.. I read ur post on making pounded yam wt f.p last year buh I must confess I jst walked pass cos I don’t even think ‘pounded yam’ then buh I guess d time has come now!!!! My first attempt @ pounding yam was som 15yrs back whn Bimpe, my friend who’s frm Ondo state, Nigeria(Ondo pple r poundo lovers) visited n she practically did all while I watched, as I culdnt even lift d pestle whn asked 2 try…lol. So, my only alternative since then is to buy. Now dat I’m married to a hubby whose favourite swallow is ‘poundi’,( I learnt they even pound yam wt sweet potatoes in their plz) In our 3 yrs of marriage, iv never made pounded yam for dis man, not even d least ‘poundo yam’, cos he doesn’t lik it..#coveringmyfacenow#. Anyway,I’m in for real good changes dis year. So, i went ‘window shopping’ during d last xmas in a store in Ikorodu, Lagos, n eyed a Kenwood fp priced @ N18,800, n sincerely, I remembered U dooney n ur post on it. Iv returned 2 my base now n by God’s grace, I’ll get ds newest baby in my kitchen by month end. I hop dat post is stl up here to guide me on ‘how to’. Thxs 4 encouraging us n bracing us up 2 becoming modern cooks. Luv u loads!
dooneyrooney says
January 16, 2015 at 11:44 amAaaaaw, hugs. Just buy the food processor and don’t tell him yet. Send him on an errand and let his jaw drop when you serve him real pounded yam. Heheheh
omolola says
January 19, 2015 at 4:44 amThanks D. I sure will
Adeyinka says
January 16, 2015 at 10:03 amwell i made both.. my stand mixer is breville professiona.. the food processor made it so smooth but i had to leave it for a while to get the iyan texture and consistency while the stand mixer did it just fine and in few minutes too.. the mixer also accomodated large quantitesof yam cubes
dooneyrooney says
January 16, 2015 at 11:40 amBrilliant, lovely to hear. Well done for experimenting. Usually i find that i can serve my pounded yam immediately. Quite interesting to read that you had to wait. When that happens, it is mostly because the yams were too soft from boiling
Adeyinka says
January 16, 2015 at 2:15 pmoh i see… i made sure i boiled them so well that i wouldn’t have to add water.. i’d take note of that next time
driphie says
January 18, 2015 at 9:51 pmThank you ver much Dunni. Very informative. Is there a chance the food processor can be used for making semovita too?
dooneyrooney says
January 18, 2015 at 9:52 pmNo, because Semo needs to cook on heat. Use a hand mixer
driphie says
January 19, 2015 at 6:27 amThanks Dunni, can u pls describe how i can go about making d semo with a hand mixer?
yahoofunbi says
January 19, 2015 at 7:18 pmThanks Dunni for bringing smiles to my dear husband face yesterday,we were so excited when our food processor made our pounded yam in just less than five minutes.Trust me i made him pray for you,in his words God bless you Dunni.
dooneyrooney says
January 19, 2015 at 7:26 pmAaaaw. Thank you and Amen to your prayers
Ekaette says
February 6, 2015 at 9:14 pmDooney,
My facebook friend left a comment on ‘so u think u can cool’ and that is how i stumbled on your making poundo with a food processor post. i was so intrigued I bought a fp and u can imagine my excitement when the poundo came out perfect!! So easy!! Now poundo in our home is ‘easy peasy’!! 🙂 Thank u plenty plenty for enlightening us and opening our eyes to endless possibilities
salta says
February 22, 2015 at 12:28 pmHmm, I am in my 40’s and I remember my mum had a Kenwood mixer in the 70s and did this at least two times. I did not like pounded yam and can’t remember how successful her efforts were. She also has one of those National yam pounders which also cooks the Yam . I think the problem is that our elite do not apply themselves to our problems.The technology has been around for ever and just needs to be adapted with a base/container that can tolerate heat. I suspect processors cannot tolerate repeated punishment with heat. Perhaps you want to design and patent a processor specific for this purpose. Technically all the technology is out there already. By the way have you any idea what a mortar and pestle costs? I reckon such a processor should in the long term be about £30 even cheaper and a chargeable battery powered option will fly off the shelves in Nigeria. Over to you and Best Wishes
Ron says
July 27, 2015 at 7:11 amHello Ron here! What speed setting did you use for mixing the yams? Was it the highest speed setting?
dooneyrooney says
July 28, 2015 at 2:39 pmmaximum speed
Ron says
August 5, 2015 at 5:57 amThanks for answering my question.
Can you use Yellow Jamaican Yams instead of White Yams to make Pounded Yam?
Also for the White Yam how long do you have to heat the Yams so you don’t get any lumps in the Pounded Yam?
Ron says
August 6, 2015 at 3:35 amThanks for your response.
I wondered i you have tried to make pounded yam with Jamaican yam/yellow yam in a stand mixer?
Also how long do you boil the white yams for to get them soft enough to pounded in the mixer???
dooneyrooney says
August 12, 2015 at 3:04 pmno i haven’t tried that yam. i usually don’t time it, just watch it closely and don’t let it over cook otherwise you will end up with mash
Khemmy says
December 30, 2015 at 5:31 amMy dearest Dooney, it’s bin a yle. As usual, you are doing a ‘fantabulous’ job. Thank God for how far Dooneyskitchen.com has come bt especially thank Him for where He is taking you, the blog and all ur readers / followers too in 2016 and beyond.
All thanks to you and your post on pounding yam with a food processor, even my husband that’s d laziest cook I know on planet earth can now mk pounded yam aldoe he still has to wait to be served ???. I participated in an online cooking competition and as God wld av it, my efo riro got the highest number of votes and I won a Morphy Richards Accents folding stand mixer and my Lil gal is more excited about it cos she believes now mummy will bake cake everyday(her wishes doe??). I remembered that I had seen a post about pounded yam and mixer so I rushed here dis morning to confirm my thoughts. I’ll be trying dis out on new year day with my new mixer cos the bowl is bigger than my Phillips food processor.
However, I have a question. My beater is tinier Dan dis one u displayed here and it’s 2pcs and it does not have any cover unlike d food processor. Will I get the same result?
Thanks
Dooney says
January 4, 2016 at 10:49 pmunless i see the device you are talking about, i really can’t say