Yam Rice (Taro Rice)

“Yammy-licious” Yam Rice 芋头饭

I had lots of leftover yam from making yu sheng so I thought of cooking yam rice with the leftovers. My first attempt turned out really well surprisingly, not only did the yam rice looked appetizing, it also tasted … “yammy” (can’t resist the pun). It was so good that I didn’t mind reheating the remaining yam rice the next day as it was too good to waste. Yam rice is really filling and you can eat it on its own as a one-dish meal, or pair it with Chinese soups such as bak kut teh and salted vegetables soup.

Updated (24 Feb 2010): In the US & Canada, there is no distinction between yam and sweet potato. Hence to avoid confusion, the yam that is used in this recipe is also the vegetable known as taro. In Singapore (and in this recipe), yam refers to the vegetable with black skin and some porous roots sticking out from the skin, and the flesh is white/purple (see photo below). Sweet potato, on the other hand, refers to the one with orange flesh. Thanks to HoppingHammy who pointed it out to me :)

If you like different flavours of yam rice, also check out Rasa Malaysia’s yam rice which has minced meat & shiitake mushrooms. :up:

Ingredient: Yam Cubes

Ingredients
(serves 3-4)

– (200g) 1 cup uncooked long grain rice, washed and water rinsed
– water to cook rice
– 200g yam (taro), skin removed and cubed (wear disposable plastic gloves when handling yam)
– 2 tbsp dried shrimps (hei bi), soaked in water for 15 minutes, drain the water and chop finely
– 100g char siew or roasted meat, cut to small pieces
– dash of ground white pepper
– 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

Seasonings
– 3/4 tbsp light soy sauce
– 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
– 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Heat a wok. Stir fry yam cubes on high heat for roughly 5 minutes till just about cooked. Set aside.
2. Using the remaining oil in the wok, stir fry dried shrimps on medium low heat till fragrant (about 2-3 minutes).
3. Return the cooked yam to the wok. Add rice, roasted meat and ground white pepper. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes till all the ingredients are well mixed.
4. Wait for the rice mixture to cool, then transfer to a rice cooker. Add water to cook rice (adjust according to your preference/rice cooker; I used roughly 1 3/4 cup water), followed by seasonings. Stir to make sure that the seasonings are well mixed.
5. Cook rice in rice cooker. If not using rice cooker, boil the rice mixture for roughly 20 minutes, or till the water has evaporated and the rice is moist and puffy.

Ingredient: Assorted leftover roasted meat (cut to smaller pieces)

Ingredient: Dried shrimps (hei bi), finely chopped

Stir frying all the ingredients (Step 3)