This hearty goat meat stew is just what we need with these unusually cold weather. A little something different and such a great twist to this stew. When you think of stew most will imagine potatoes and all else that comes with it. Well today, we are going with coco yams.

Coco yams ( Taro)

These starchy roots are common in Cameroon. Sometimes we boil them, skin on, peel and pound into a smooth dough called fufu. We serve this with a traditional palm oil soup in a dish called Achu. Another staple we enjoy with coco yams is a spicy pottage made with palm oil, crayfish and other spices. I must say this stew is a first with coco yams adding a much needed substance to the dish. There are different kinds of coco yams, these have a little redness to the flesh when peeled. You can check this by snapping a little end from the root when buying. These will bake and do a little better in the stew than the white ones. You can find these at an African or Asian grocery store.

Preparing Coco Yams

Double wash, this is optional. Wash, then peel off the skin to reveal the white flesh. Wash this again before slicing into chunks for boiling. Coco yams contain chemicals that will cause severe itching when raw and under cooked. Wear gloves during second wash or peeling. Add enough water to completely submerge coco yams and about and inch over, add salt and cook until soft. Drizzle some olive oil, some white pepper, toss and broil until they just start to char. These are amazing in the stew or just to snack on.

The goat meat we use here is the frozen left overs from the Christmas crowd. We were granted a one day pass to the restaurant depot and we couldn’t pass on the amazing halal goat meat deal. Matter of fact, I still have quite a bit left for future use. A little tip from my mother this holiday is applied to this dish. With goat meat , we usually enjoy some goat meat pepper soup. It is best to add in your spices and cook for a little while before adding water. This lets your meat absorb the seasoning that short cook time. The meat releases some water as it cooks. Water is then added and gently simmered for about two hours until the meat is tender.

Your meat is tender and you have an amazing broth to go with it. All you need is to make you tomato base and you are ready to enjoy one filling stew for any starving belly. Roma style tomatoes are my favorite. I guess a bag of frozen mixed vegetable cab be much more than steamed veggies.

You prefer beef? Easy substitute, you need not change anything. This is now a regular at home especially on cold days. So comforting and satisfying. I hope this dish makes a debut in your home. And this might just be a guest that will definitely over stay and you’ll enjoy every bit of the company.