Jamaican hard food

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil with two-thirds of 1 tsp salt.

Step 2: Mix 5 ½ oz plain flour with the rest of ½ tsp salt, then work in ½ cup cold water a little at a time until you have a firm, smooth dough that no longer sticks to your fingers. Knead for 2 minutes and rest it under a cloth.

Step 3: Rub your hands with 1 tsp vegetable oil. Slit the skin of each of 4 green bananas along two ridges, prise it off and drop the peeled bananas into a bowl of cold water so they don't darken.

Step 4: Add 14 oz yellow yam and 10 ½ oz dasheen to the boiling pot first; they need the longest. Boil for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll them into balls and flatten each into a thick disc with a dent in the middle so it cooks through. Add them to the pot with the drained bananas.

Step 6: Boil for 15 minutes more, until a knife slides easily into the yam and dasheen, the bananas are tender but still hold their shape, and the dumplings float and feel firm and springy.

Step 7: Drain well and serve hot, a piece of each per plate. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and are very good sliced and fried until golden.