Mportomportor with Cocoyam

Mportomportor is one of those must-have Ghanaian dishes. There are unique ways of cooking it, but in this recipe which uses cocoyam, all the magic happens in one pot.  Yam, cocoyam or sweet potatoes are typically used in making mportomportor. You could even probably use all three together if you wanted to take it up a notch. This recipe gets a wonderful, funky kick from a salted fish commonly known as momoni. I have used this ingredient in my okro soup recipe and when used in very small portions, it can greatly enhance the flavour of your dishes.

Growing up, I didn’t like mportomportor at all, especially when made with cocoyam, I always felt it was dull and uninteresting. I think it was also because it wasn’t a regular meal we made. Sweet potato mportomportor on the other hand happens to appeal to me a bit more just because I love sweet potatoes.

You can also decide to leave your mportomportor chunky or have the tubers breakdown completely to form a lush pottage with porridge consistency. I feel that when it comes to mportotmportor you can go whatever route you want.

Depending on what kind of sweet potatoes, yam or cocoyam you have, they may break down faster as you are cooking and so that is something to take note of. Smoked herrings add a nice smoky touch as do blended shallots. Generally, if you’re making a stew or a soup which has onions and you’re looking for extra deliciousness then you should add blended shallots. Thank me later.

I am quite curious to find out what other ingredients people add to their dish. A friend of mine adds Keta School Boys to his. Keta School Boys for those who are not Ghanaian or just do not know, are sun dried anchovies. Other people also add tuna or mackerel. I keep my mportomportor very simple by only adding smoked herrings.

I would add any fish which I think would go with mportomportor. If you don't mind your fish flaking entirely into your dish then that is fine but a firmer, smoked fish option is also a great choice.

You could also opt to use Koobi or Akpatogui (salted and dried Tilapia). However, the one thing to note is that the salt content in Akpatogui is extremely high. I always boil it before use to get rid of that excess salt. I highly recommend that you do the same. Akpatogui is firm in texture and dry whereas Momoni on the other hand is soft and mushy. In addition to that, their high salt content makes them easy to preserve in our tropical climate.

The immediate photo below is also mportomportor but made with sweet potatoes. Visually, the difference is not that noticeable. Tastewise however there is quite a distinction.

The photo below is also mportomportor but made with sweet potatoes. Visually, the difference is not that noticeable but tastewise however there is quite a distinction. Whichever way you decide to cook mportomportor, whether with yam or cocoyam, flaky fish, firm fish or no fish at all, the most important thing is that it should be tasty.