One ingredient five ways: Yam

With brown skins the flesh inside a yam can vary in colour depending on the variety. It can be white, yellow, and purple too. The sweet flesh inside not only makes it an ideal ingredient for savoury recipes, but its good for desserts too.

Yam Cake
Heat oven to 190 degrees C. Blend 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Take 5 eggs and add one at a time. Now take 500g of yam and cut into pieces. Add 3 cups of self-raising flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon soda, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Fold in 1 cup raisins and 250g of crushed pineapple. Put in a pan and bake at 190 degrees C for approximately an hour.

Yam Salad
Take 3 medium yams. Boil and dice them. Take 2 bananas, sliced. Also take 2 diced red apples and 2 cups of seedless grapes. To this add 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

Yam Pattice
Take 1/2kg yam, boil and mash it. To it add 1 teaspoon of ginger paste, green chilli paste, and garlic paste. Also add 1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves, 1 finely chopped onion, 2-3 slices of bread and juice of a lime. Add salt as per your taste. Mix all the ingredients well and make small balls and then flatten it on your palm. Deep fry and serve with any dip of your choice.

Yam Souffle
Combine 3 cups of cooked yams properly mashed, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup butter, softened, 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange rind, a pinch of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix all the ingredients well. In a separate container beat the yolk of 4 eggs and separately beat the egg whites too. Add egg yolks and also fold in egg whites to the mixture. Pour in a casserole and bake at 190 C for 45 minutes.

Fried Yams
Take 3-4 pieces of yam, peeled and cut into slices. Soak these pieces in salt water for 20 minutes or so and then drain and pat dry them. In a pan heat 3-4 tablespoons of butter and gently slide the yam slices into it. Sprinkle little sugar and cook on simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot.[email protected]