Wasawasa (Steamed Dried Yam Flour Pellets with Fried Fish and Pepper), plated

West Africa · Main

Wasawasa (Steamed Dried Yam Flour Pellets with Fried Fish and Pepper)

Earthy, dark-steamed yam flour pellets tossed in seasoned oil and served with crisp fried fish, fresh onions, and fiery black pepper.

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The story

Wasawasa is a prized heritage culinary tradition of the Dagomba and Gonja ethnic groups across northern Ghana, widely savored as a hearty morning and market lunch. Made from the sun-dried peelings and pulp of water yam or white yam (known as kokonte flour), the pellets acquire their distinctive near-black color through enzymatic browning during the traditional open-air sun curing process. A master cook knows to gauge the moisture strictly by hand feel during the pelleting process, as too much water collapses the granules into dense paste.

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