Make Candied Yams
Edited by francesca gare, Graeme, Lynn, Zornitsa Bukovska and 1 other
Yams are tubular starchy root crops or vegetables that grow underground. They are native to Africa and are also grown in Central and South America and Asia. They come in different sizes and colors, depending on the variety.
There are a lot of recipes to make candied yams, from the most traditional ones to those that have been given a personal twist. The recipes also vary from different states in the U.S. and different countries as well. Candied yams can either be boiled in syrup or baked and can also be fried and coated with with sugar to look like real candy. You can use either sweet potatoes that are more common in the U.S or Asian yams found in your local Asian food markets.
This recipe is for the fried version of candied yams, which is popular in most Asian countries and can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- 12 sweet potatoes/yams
- 2Cooking oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 3White sugar
- 4Salt
- 5Confectioners sugar (optional)
Prepping the Yams/Sweet Potatoes
- 1Peel the sweet potatoes, rinse them, then dry them with a paper towel.
- 2Slice it into chunks that looks like circles or semi-circles, depending on how big the sweet potatoes are, and they should be about 1/2 inch thick.
- 3Put 4-5 cups of cooking oil into the frying pan and heat it.
- 4Fry the sweet potatoes over medium-high heat for about five to eight minutes or until golden brown.
Making the Syrup Coating
- 1In a non-stick pan place at least 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil and coat the pan evenly.
Serving Tips
- Serve on skewers
- Serve as is on a white plate
- Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, sesame seeds, chopped nuts, etc.
Yam Facts
Yams are a good source of vitamins C and B5 and important dietary fibers. They are also rich in potassium and manganese and are very low in sodium, which makes a good balance. All of these nutrients can help control heart diseases and osteoporosis and can also help get diabetes and obesity under control.
Although in some Asian countries, some yam varieties can be eaten fresh, most yams are toxic when eaten raw, particularly the bitter yam which is available in West Africa.
It is also believed that yams help produce hormones for contraceptives and steroids, which is why they were commercially produced for that purpose.
Questions and Answers
How to make fried candied yams with vegetable oil?
- Ingredients
- 2 Yams
- 4 cups of vegetable oil
- 3-4 tbsp. of brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Procedure
- Dice the yams or cut them into slices.
- Melt the honey in a suitable saucepan (or skillet) and mix it with the brown sugar. Don't put in a lot of brown sugar, but an appropriate amount, depending on the amount of the honey. Heat it up at the lowest possible temperature.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Mix all these ingredients until you get a consistent glaze.
- Take a frying pan and heat the vegetable oil in it.
- When the oil begins to bubble, add the yams.
- Cover the vessel for about five minutes.
- Then uncover and turn the potatoes with a spatula.
- Take a fork and check if the potatoes are cooked - they must become crisp and with a brown cover.
- Now put the fried potatoes in the ready glaze for 30 seconds.
- Take the yams out and serve them cooled.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
