Among all preparation methods, stir-frying yam preserves the most nutrients and flavor. Sliced or shredded yam is quickly stir-fried, minimizing nutrient loss—particularly vitamin C—due to brief heating. Vegetarian options include stir-fried yam with wood ear mushrooms or tomatoes; meat-based dishes feature yam with pork slices, pork kidneys, shrimp, or chicken cubes.
Steamed Yam
For those recovering from illness with poor appetite, the simplest steamed preparation is ideal. Peel and cut yam into sections, steam until tender, then enjoy dipped in sugar. Its fresh, soft texture and sweet flavor make it appealing. This tender-cooked method is also suitable for chronic conditions like hypertension or stomach ailments.Women who enjoy sweets or have a weak constitution can also blanch the yam in water and drizzle it with a prepared honey syrup. This helps nourish yin and enrich the blood.
Yam Porridge
Add yam chunks and a few torn red dates when cooking porridge. This is ideal for children and the elderly, as both groups often have weaker teeth and digestive systems, and yam porridge is exceptionally easy to digest.Additionally, those with weak spleen and stomach or poor digestion benefit from this porridge. Variations include peanut yam porridge, goji berry yam porridge, longan yam porridge, and pumpkin yam porridge.
Stewed Yam
Stewed yam with free-range chicken strengthens the spleen and harmonizes the stomach, making it an ideal autumn and winter tonic. Cut yam into sections. In a pressure cooker, partially cook chicken pieces until 30% done. Add the yam sections along with goji berries and other seasonings. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.Stewed Yam with Pork Ribs nourishes the kidneys and enriches essence. Blanch pork ribs in hot water, rinse, then simmer in a pot for 20 minutes. Add sliced yam, other ingredients, and seasonings. Continue simmering over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Deep-Fried Yam Beans with Sugar Coating
Wash yam beans, mix with sugar, starch, and egg white until smooth. Add flour and roll into balls. Fry in cold oil over low heat until cooked. Boil yam beans or wash hawthorn berries.Boil sugar with water into syrup, add yam beans or hawthorn berries, stir-fry until coated with sugar, then toss with white sesame seeds. Remove from heat, cool on a plate.
Yam Medicinal Soup
5g yam, 10g solomon's seal, 10g ophiopogon, 5g goji berries, 1 pigeon.First, stir-fry the blanched pigeon meat in a wok. Add broth or boiling water. Once boiling, transfer the meat to a soup pot. Add the washed medicinal ingredients to the wok and cook until tender. Pour the broth into the pot and simmer over low heat for 9 minutes. Before serving, season with salt, MSG, chicken bouillon, etc. The soup is now complete.
Sweetened Yam Beans
Wash and steam yam beans until tender. Skewer them onto bamboo sticks. Boil an appropriate amount of white sugar into a syrupy consistency, then coat the skewered beans as you would traditional candied hawthorn berries.Prepare rock sugar. Add a little oil to a pot, then add the rock sugar. Stir constantly over low heat. Add a splash of water partway through, then continue simmering until it thickens into a sticky syrup. Quickly dip the skewered yam beans into the syrup—be swift! Alternatively, use a small spoon to coat the yam beans with syrup, then stick them into a soft foam board or similar surface to cool.