Tuna yam balls

📝 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound unpeeled puna yam
• salt as required
• 3 tablespoons butter/ margarine
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
• 1/2 bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1-2 can(s) (140g) tuna in sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon grounded grains of paradise/ black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (paprika also works)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2cup/ 65g bread crumbs
• 1/4cup/ 30g pastry flour/ all purpose flour
• salt and grounded grains of paradise/ black pepper to season
• odourless oil for deep frying
• to serve: any hot sauce

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Peel the puna yam and cut into cubes. Smaller cubes cooks faster. Rinse well, put into a saucepan, add salt to taste, add enough water to cover the yams for boiling. Place the yams on fire to cook till tender or cooked through.
2. 2Whiles the yam is cooking, put one tablespoon butter or margarine in another saucepan and place on fire. Add garlic, onions and bell pepper and sautee until just softened. Do not caramelise the onions. Turn off fire and set aside. Drain oil from tuna and set aside.
3. 3Drain the yams and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Whiles still hot, add two tablespoons of butter or margarine and mash the yam making sure there are no lumps.
4. 4Add the previously softened onions and bell pepper, drained tuna, one teaspoon grounded grains of paradise or black pepper, half teaspoon chili powder. Mix everything together. Taste for seasoning and salt.
5. 5Add one large egg and mix together. Scoop two tablespoons of mashed yam and using both palms, mold and shape into balls. Place the yam balls on a tray and place in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to rest. (This firms up the yam balls and makes frying easier)
6. 6Meanwhile, pour a quarter cup of flour into a plate, and half cup of bread crumbs into another plate. Season the flour and bread crumbs with a pinch of salt and grounded grains of paradise or black pepper or to taste. Beat the other egg in a bowl.
7. 7Remove yam balls from the fridge, take each yam ball, place into the flour plate to coat, dust off excess, dip into the beaten egg until completely coated and finally place into the bread crumbs to coat making sure it is well coated in the bread crumbs.
8. 8Rest the yam balls for about five minutes before frying. When ready to fry, heat oil in a deep fryer. Check the oil is hot by dipping a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil bubbles around it, it is hot enough to start frying.
9. 9Gently place each yam balls into the deep fryer. Fry till yam balls are golden. Remove from the oil and put the yam balls on a tissue paper lined plate to drain excess oil.
10. 10Yam balls are best eaten warm, serve with any hot sauce of choice.