Tag: Yam

tapioca bread

Ever since I bought a bag of tapioca flour to make pearls used in the bubble tea, I have always wanted to bake Brazilian cheese bread. So this morning I modified this recipe and made a sweet version by using roasted Japanese yam.

ingredients:

2 cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

3 small Japanese yams, roasted and meshed about 2 cups (see note)

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water (about 190 F)

In a bowl, combine tapioca flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and chia seeds if using. Pour in hot water. The flour mixture will turn hard but should be still wet. Fold in meshed yam slowly with a spatula. Then, I just used my hand to roll the mixture into the size of golf ball. I got about 28 of them. It’s ok that they were not in perfectly round shape (just look at mine><).
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Bake at 410F for about 20-25 minutes. These bread puffed just a little and tasted a lot like Japanese mochi but not as chewy. I used Japanese yam to replace sugar in these bread (you can still see small pieces of yam outside and inside), but they were sweet enough to our taste. I also added chia seeds to boost the nutrition and the fiber. These were so easy to make and simply good eats.
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Note:

I used Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour.

I wrapped these small Japanese yams (the yellow flesh kind) with aluminum foil and roasted them at 350F for about 50 minutes. After they cooled down completely, I peeled them and meshed them with a fork. They were very sweet and creamy but not as moist as roasted sweet potatoes. Depending on the moisture level of the type of sweet potatoes/yam you use, you may need to adjust the amount of water.

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Baked sweet potato rice dumpling (tang yuan)

I always remembered how I started baking these gluten rice balls.

It’s summer all year around in Singapore. My son missed the celebrations and activities for the fall and winter especially Halloween (who doesn’t like Halloween?). So before our first Halloween in Singapore, I bought couple pumpkins and invited kids’ friends over for a pumpkin carving party. Then, I ended up having a lot of inner pulp. Despite of making pumpkin breads sharing with friends, I came up with the idea of mixing gluten rice flour and pumpkin purée together. Adding some cinnamon, forming them into 1″ balls and baking them at 350F. With a dusting of powdered sugar, these baked sweet rice balls were a big hit with my kids and their friends. These also resembled mini munchkins. So every now and then, I would make these sweet rice balls with pumpkin or sweet potato (yellow or purple kind) purée in Singapore if kids asked for donuts.

There was a Chinese New Year related celebration and performance in kids’ Chinese school on Sunday. I decided to contribute these treats and as usual, my daughter was very excited to help.

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten rice flour

1-2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1/2 cup sweet potato purée (see note)

1/4-1/2 cup organic raw sugar (see note)
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Mix all ingredients in the bowl.
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Roll them into balls as the size of the cherry.
imageSince I had 1/2 cup gluten rice flour and a little less than 1/4 cup red beet juice (from making Chocolate beetroot cake) left, I decided to do an experiment. I poured the beet juice into the gluten rice flour, and add 2 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce and 1/2 cup organic raw sugar. Woops! The dough was too soft to be form into balls. So I just scooped them out and flattened them like cookies. Baked them together at 350F for 20-25 minutes.
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The ones with sweet potato purée tasted like small bites of pumpkin pie with a bit chewy texture. They were gone pretty fast after they were placed on the dessert plate at kids’ school. They were simple and delicious. The ones with beetroot juice lost pretty pink color after baking. My son joked that they looked like sliced pepperoni. Since they were plain gluten rice flour without any fat and much fruit/vegetable purée, they were chewier and turned harder the next day. They were best to be served warm.

Note:

I used the orange flesh kind of sweet potato purée, and found that they were sweet enough with 1/4 cup of sugar. But if you prefer them sweeter, use up to 1/2 cup of sugar. Or you can use honey (maple syrup for vegan).

If using different kind of sweet potato purée, you may need to adjust the amount of gluten rice flour and sugar. I made them with yellow and purple yams in Singapore. The purée were much sweeter but drier. So I didn’t use as much flour and at times even skipped sugar all together.

You can also add sprinkles of your preference before baking.

 

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Sweet potato roti

Have you had roti prata? It’s one of the popular choice in hawk centers and one of my son’s favorite lunch choice at school cafeteria in Singapore. We haven’t had this ever since we relocated back home. Since I am making lentils with leftover curry sauce for lunch, I can make roti to eat with and also surprise my son after he comes back from school^^. But then I still have some sweet potatoes left (the orange fresh kind, at times called yam at supermarket). Do you know what I am thinking?! Yes, why don’t I make roti with sweet potatoes? That sounds a delicious addition. So here we go.

ingredients:

two mid-size sweet potatoes steamed, peeled, and mashed (about 2 cups)

2 cups white whole wheat flour and more for rolling (note)
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When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, mix in the flour. Use your hand to combine them together (like kneading the dough) until the mixture forms a sticky dough. But don’t over work the dough. I then let the dough rest (covered about 30 minutes) while making the green lentils with curry sauce.

Pour out the dough as the size of golf ball and flatten it in a heavily flour work surface. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough (about 8″ to 9″ circle).
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Set a non-stick frying pan on the medium high heat. When the pan is hot enough, dust off extra flour and place the dough in the pan. watch out the bubble on the bread, and flip over to another side. When it puffs up again, it’s done. Remove the roti from the pan and wrap them with a tower to keep them warm.
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imageThey are soft and have a hint of sweetness from the sweet potato. Simply delicious! The whole preparation is also very kids friendly. My daughter actually took all the picture, mashed the sweet potato, spreaded the flour when I rolled out the roti, watched out the roti popping up in the pan while I was rolling another one, etc. We love to eat them plain and eat with lentils for a more fulfilling meal.
imageWrap the unused dough tightly with plastic wrap and in a ziplock bag, and leave it in the refrigerator. I normally use the leftover dough to make crackers with additional spices. So I always have something to snack on:-).

Note:

Depending on the kind of sweet potatoes you used, the moisture level may be different. You will need to adjust the volume of the flour used. But 1:1 ratio is a good start.

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Healthy cookies

I love baking with simple and real ingredents. I believe that the easier the recipe is, the more often you make it. And the more versatile the recipe is, the easier you personalize it. Like many of you, I have made these cookies for breakfast, for snacks, and/or for desserts. They are delicious and healthy. Moreover, my daughter and I always had fun baking together.

2 ripped and meshed bananas or about 1 cup meshed roasted yam/pumpkin

Mix with 1.5 to 2 cups of oat flour or cornmeal depending the wetness of the dough. Sometimes, I also swapped oat/corn flour for 1 to 2 tablespoons of grounded flaxseed. Then here comes the fun part, the add-ins.

For banana cookies, I add:

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoon raisins

1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For yam/pumpkin cookies, I add:

2 tablespoon coconut flakes

2 tablespoon chopped pecans

1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

I use my tablespoon to scoop them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them at 350 F for about 15 minutes. Happy baking!!

 

Banana cookies
Banana cookies
Yam cookies
Yam cookies
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sweet potato casserole (baked yam)

I really like summer weekend here, grilling and chilling in the backyard. Since there’s little dinner preparation at my end, I don’t mind to make a side dish or dessert. The name sounds fancy but it is literally baked yam:-).

Ingredents:

2 cups of mixed roasted yam (see note)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal (optional)

Pinch of sea salt

1-2 tablespoon organic raw sugar (or sugar of your preference and adjust to the desired sweetness)

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

In a glass bakeware (I use Pyrex 2 qt 7×11), mix well roasted yam with cinnamon and nutmeg. In a bowl, mix well oats, pecans, flaxseed (if using), salt, sugar, and oil. Sprinkle the oat mixture evenly on the top of yam. Bake 350 F for about 30 minutes.

By the way, they taste even better the next day.

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Note: I normally used mixed roasted yam and pumpkin, and didn’t find the need to add any liquid. If you are using all roasted yam and think that the yam mixture is too dry, you may add 1 tablespoon of water or milk of your choice.

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Yam buckwheat pancake

One thing I like about yam is that it’s so versatile. It could be a savory main dish, a quick breakfast, a healthy dessert, or a filling snack. I always throw in 2 small yams on the grill or in the oven when I bake. After they cool down, I mesh them with a fork (if not chared, keep the skin for extra fiber) in the 2 cup size glass container, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

As to the pancake, I personally don’t like to figure out those unknown ingredients listed on the store sold pre-mix. Neither do I use more than 10 ingredients in one recipe. After all, I am a homecook. I don’t have a pantry stocked with different spices and/or ingredients. So here I am sharing a quick fix.

Ingredients:

2 cups of roasted yam (see note 1)

1 1/3 cups of buckwheat flour (see note 2)

2/3 cups of oat flour or cornmeal (or whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour if not gluten free)

2 tablespoons of chia seeds

2 cups of filtered water

I/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg and salt (optional)

If I remembered, I soaked chia seeds with water in the glass container in the refrigerator the night before (for better digestion). If not, mix well all the ingredients in a big bowl and let the batter rest until chia seeds swell. You may add more water to the desired thickness of the batter.

Yam buckwheat pancake batter
Yam buckwheat pancake batter

I use avocado oil (or oil of your choice) for making these pancakes. Again, I like to eat mine plain. I can taste the sweetness of the roasted yum, the nutty flavor of buckwheat, the cinnamon and the nutmeg, and the crunchiness of cornmeal if using hodgsonmill). But my kids like to eat them with couple drips of maple syrup or honey. Of course, you can add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and/or 1 egg for fluffier pancakes. You can also use milk of your choice instead of water.

Yam buckwheat pancake with cornmeal and chia seeds
Yam buckwheat pancake with cornmeal and chia seeds

note 1: You will need more liquid if using Korean sweet potatoes and/ or purple yam sold in Asian markets. They are so sweet after roasted. I guarantee that you won’t need any syrup or honey.

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Purple yam buckwheat pancake with oat flour

Note 2: arrowhead mills have very fine buckwheat and cornmeal. But I have soaked whole buckwheat overnight in the refrigerator and puréed them in the blender the next morning. I also buy organic rolled oats and make oat flour in the food processor.

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