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UNCLE YOMI’S BAKED EGGS WITH YAM

I’ve never witnessed anyone cook eggs as delicately as my uncle does. Using a wooden spoon, he gently sweeps the eggs from one side of the pan to the other, almost like a slow dance in the pan. It’s a family favourite, and we often sit down to eat the eggs with yams boiled in sugared water. But due to their popularity, my uncle was finding he had to make his special eggs more than once (in fact at least twice more), so we’ve since adopted a new method whereby the other batches cook in the oven along with the yams, so he can eat his food without it getting cold.

PREP TIME: 20 MINS

COOKING TIME: 50 MINS

SERVES: 4

1/2 puna yam

2 tbsp groundnut oil, plus extra for brushing

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 salad tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced

1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded (if preferred) and thinly sliced

8 eggs

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp onion granules

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cloves

salt and finely ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

Roughly slice the yam into six thick discs so that it’s easier to handle. Using a paring knife, peel away the bark from the yam and cut each disc in half. Thinly slice each disc in half lengthways to create ‘petals’ – it’s worthwhile using a mandolin slicer to get the petals as thin as possible. Rinse the yams in a bowl of cold water and dry on some kitchen paper.

Add 1 tablespoon of the groundnut oil to a 23cm cast-iron skillet, and make sure the entire base is well coated. Fan out the yam petals, so that they overlap each other, to form a flower that completely covers the base of the skillet. Use the remaining yam slices to create more layers. You should have roughly five layers, depending on the thickness of the yam petals. Brush the exposed yams on the top layer with groundnut oil. Bake for 20 minutes until the yams start to soften and the edges curl up.

Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a frying pan, along with the onion, tomatoes and Scotch bonnet. Fry over a medium–low heat for 8 minutes until the onions have softened. Take off the heat and let cool.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the celery salt, onion granules, cayenne pepper and ground cloves, along with the cooled, cooked vegetables. Stir until well incorporated, then carefully pour the egg mixture over the yam base. Return to the oven for a final 30 minutes until the eggs are cooked and the top is golden. Serve hot.