Yam Rice (Taro Rice)

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:
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 oilSeasonings
– 3/4 tbsp light soy sauce
– 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
– 1 tsp sesame oilDirections
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)
seeing this makes me hungry! love the addition of shrimps for sure. I always forget to put shrimps in mine.
One pot.. love this!!
This is a great one-dish meal. Sounds filling and delicious!
Taro rice? I love it! I am a big fan of taro…anything that contain taro I’d go for it :-) Great rice dish!
yes another name is taro. thanks! :)
Yum and double yum! This has got to be the 2nd posting that I’ve seen on yam rice and it is oh so tempting me to make some soon. Great clicks.
Yes I’ve been seeing more yam rice postings too. Is this the season?? Hope to see your version too :)
yam rice is so yum! Especially when eaten with duck and lots of duck gravy :)
yes I like yam rice with gravy and even curry. :up:
What a coincidence, I just made this yesterday, too, and serve it with claypot yong tow foo (will post on RM soon). Hehe. I love yam, especially when they are in this rice, so loose and yummy. :)
wow yam rice + claypot ytf sounds heavenly. can’t wait to check it out :-)
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I prefer soft and mushy yam that will merge with the rice. Do u know how to select yam? Is it difficult to handle yam like removing of the skin?
hi juhuacha! :-) I don’t have many tips on selecting yam, I just make sure they feel firm (not soft). It’s not difficult to remove the skin (just have to slice it off with a knife), however you need to wear gloves (or drape plastic bag over your hands) because the skin is known to cause discomfort/itch.
May i know why you need to wait till the rice mixture is cool then cook with the rice cooker?
hi wong, that’s because many rice cookers operate by heat sensor. If the rice mixture you put inside is hot, it thinks that the rice is cooked only after, say 5 minutes. You can ignore this if yours is the more advanced model :)