How do you boil yam? Firstly, I have to break it to you that yam is a vegetable… A tuberous root vegetable! Additionally, yam should not be confused with sweet potatoes. They are different.
In today’s post, I will show you how to boil yam perfectly at all times and other recipes you can use it with. When eaten in moderation, it is quick, easy, delicious, and healthy.
What’s a Yam?
There is one very important distinction to be made: Sweet potatoes are not yams, and yams are not sweet potatoes. They are both tuberous root vegetables that come from a flowering plant, but they are not related and have little in common.
Yams are native to Africa and Asia, with the majority of them coming from Africa. Like lilies, they can grow as big as a regular potato or as small as a regular potato (some grow five feet long!). Yam has a cylindrical shape with bark-like skin and white, purple, or reddish flesh.
Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are drier and starchier. These days, more grocery stores carry them, but you’ll have the best luck finding them in international and specialty markets.
How To Boil Yam?
It doesn’t matter what you call them, yams (or sweet potatoes) are delicious in both savory and sweet dishes. Side dishes are often boiled or baked (peeled or unpeeled). You can add them to soups, stews, and braises. Boiling yams are sometimes served as a side dish or as an ingredient in quick bread and pies. Learn how to boil yams in a variety of ways to enjoy your favorite yam (or sweet potato) recipes.
- On the stove, yams are usually boiled. Sweet potatoes and yams are so similar that you can follow our basic instructions for boiling sweet potatoes to get mashed yams.
- Wash and peel the yams, then cut them into bite-size cubes.
- Use a saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to hold the yams without crowding them. Add just enough salted water to cover the yams and season with salt.
- Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, covered. When you can pierce the flesh with a fork or knife, they’re ready!
You can use your boiled yams in any recipe that calls for mashed yams after draining. To begin, choose the right mashing tool. Using either a potato masher or an electric mixer at low speed will produce fluffy, smooth mashed yams. Determine how much you need for the recipe. Peeled, cooked mashed yams from one medium yam yield about 113 cups.
How to boil yam in the microwave?
Sweet yams don’t need to stop at the simple potato in its jacket when microwaving! Check out these delicious sweet yam side dishes in under 10 minutes!
Ingredients:
- 1 or more mashed yam
- Unsalted butter
- Salt
Recipe:
- As directed above, microwave the yam.
- Cut the Yamin half with a knife.
- With a yam masher or just a fork, mash sweet yam flesh with plenty of butter and salt. For a rustic look, you can leave in the skins, which are also nutrient-dense.
