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Curried Yams in Coconut Milk
We took a standard yams with brown sugar side dish and gussied it up quite a bit. The little bit of coconut milk replaces the sugar or honey traditionally used to sweeten this dish. These Indian spices add a whole new dimension to the traditional Thanksgiving side of yams.
Here’s what you need:
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1 lb yams |
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1 Tbsp. salt |
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2 inch, fresh ginger root |
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1 garlic clove |
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2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil |
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1 tsp. cumin seeds |
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2 whole green cardamom pods |
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1 Bay leaf |
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4 peppercorns |
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1 Inch stick cinnamon |
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1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper |
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1 tsp. ground coriander |
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1/2 tsp. garam marsala (optional) |
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To taste - salt |
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1/2 cup coconut milk |
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1/2 cup water |
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1 Tbsp. chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) |
Here’s what you do:
1. Peel the yams, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Steam the potatoes for 10 minutes, until just barely soft.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, ginger and garlic. Heat the cooking pan over a moderate flame, add the cumin seed, and cook until they begin to splutter. Add the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is a rich golden color. Add all the spices and season with salt to taste. Let this cook while you continue as below.
3. Heat the oil and sauté the already steamed yam cubes, until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper towels.
4. Add the coconut milk and bring to a healthy simmer. Let it roil for a few minutes, then add the yam cubes and onion spice mixture, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or until nearly dry, but still moist. Let the coconut milk be the sweet binder, taking the place of both brown sugar for sweetness and yogurt for viscosity.
5. Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander sprinkled on top. If you have any lime left over, this dish might benefit from a squeeze of lime as well.
Source: The recipe is derived and adapted from one in ‘The Hamlyn Curry Cookbook’, by Meera Taneja. We took a lot of liberties with this recipe.