Last week we broke convention and made a savory habanero cheesecake for the holidays. How about approaching the one vegetable that is as synonymous with thanks giving as giving thanks? What if we swapped out the candied yams with cumin and coriander crusted yams?
I am not suggesting this out of pure rebellion; I am just not entirely convinced that a sweet vegetable needs to be reinforced with more sweetness.
The yam is appealing and should be at your table this Thursday, but you may consider allowing it to show its sensuous side at the table in place of the anticipated ‘simply sweet’. Todays dish achieves just that with a backdrop of earthy flavor notes such as, cumin and coriander seeds and a touch of toasted red chili. Anything but cooked to a pulp, this skilet roasted yam has texture that crackles at first bite followed by pure tenderness.
Ingredients
3lbs yams
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 whole dried chilies or ½ tsp chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¼ cup of olive oil
Method
Fill water in a large pan, add the whole yams with the skin, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the yams are ¾ cooked, remove with slotted spoon
Cut in to wedges with skin on and allow to cool
Toasting the Spices: Heat a pan and add the coriander and cumin seeds and red chili. Toast until the essential oils release and an aroma emerges
Grinding the spices: Break down spices and chili in mortar and pestle
Heat a skillet
Coat yam wedges in oil and spices. Fully cook the yams in batches and once they are fully cooked, turn up the heat for a nice golden brown crust
Pearls of Wisdom
Careful not to over boil the yams as they will be not hold their shape when cooking in the skillet and will become harder to manage
Serving Suggestions
A perfect side dish to your Thanksgiving meal
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