Yam Day!

My lovely mother called me a couple days ago to inform me that yams were currently 19 cents a pound at Wally's, and at my prompting she delivered around two pounds of orange-y goodness to my apartment. As I am blessed with an abundance of this delicious root vegetable, I declared Friday a cooking day devoted to yams, and have enjoyed myself immensely with the fruits of my labors.

First I made
which were amazing, though mine did not look nearly as pretty (halfway through I gave up and wrapped them like egg rolls). I used spring roll sheets for the dough, and ended up making two different fillings, both of which were very yummy. First I boiled and mashed my sweet potatoes, adding a little bit of milk and butter to the mix. Then I split the mixture into two halves, and into the first half I added sauteed garlic, onions, and cumin seeds, along with curry powder, ginger, and some chili powder. In my second mixture I made a sort of dessert samosa, with cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar and raisins. I put them on a greased cookie sheet, brushed some oil on the top so they would brown, and in the 375 degree oven they went, on one side for 10 min and flipped for another 5. Both turned out well, though I think for the non-dessert samosas I may need to add chilies or something for next time.

Next I made
a coconut yam Thai curry, which was amazing. I cooked my onion, garlic, and cumin seeds first, then added the red curry paste, ginger, peas, and my diced yams. I cooked them for about 4 minutes, then added coconut milk and a bit of soy sauce for a bit of a kick. It was so yummy you guys, I have to make this again soon. Mmmm so good. Out of all the brands of coconut milk I've used so far, I have to say Orchid's is my favorite. The milk was rich and fragrant and everything tasted sweet, slightly spicy, and completely delicious.

And last, but certainly not least, I decided to round off my yam experience with

candied yams! I boiled 3 diced yams til they were soft, then added them into a 9x9 casserole dish with 1 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, then baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Technically I should have waited longer, but I didn't want to!! They were yummy.

I used a total of 8 yams today, and while I could have found a recipe for my remaining 2, I decided to call it a day. Yay leftovers!!