Yam rice, Taro rice - Taro rice, Yam Rice

What would you eat Yam Rice (芋头饭) with ? In some Singapore eateries, or even hawker centers, yam rice is usually served with braised duck, salted vegetable (mustard greens) soup or with turtle soup. Yam and Taro, what is the difference ? In Singapore/Malaysia and other Southeast Asia countries, yam and taro mean the same thing; but here in the United States, it is taro here and yam is sweet potato.

Yam/Taro Rice (serve 4)
Ingredients:
-2.5 cups rice, washed
-1 piece of medium-sized peeled and cooked yam/taro, diced
-1tbsp dried shrimps, soaked for 5mins, chopped to small pieces
-300gpork belly, seasoned (can be an option)
-salt & pepper to taste
-fried shallots

Marinade/seasoning (for pork); similar to pork belly
-1tsp dark soya sauce
-1/2 tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp cane sugar
-1/2 tsp tomato ketchup
-1/2 tsp white peppercorns
-1 pinch five spice powder (if no five-spice, some all-spice will do)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1tsp chinese cooking wine
-1tsp crushed garlic
(leave marinated pork in fridge for 1hr)

Note: If you want to omit the meat, you could. Just increase the quantity of dried shrimps - add half or one, more tbsp dried shrimps - from 1tbsp to ~2tbsps, to increase the aroma and flavor; and seasoned with pinches of five-spice powder(or allspice) and 1tsp dark soy sauce while frying the yam/dried shrimps mixture.

Method:
1. Cooked rice as per normal in rice cooker
2. Heat some oil in a saucepan
3. Saute dried shrimps until fragrant
4. Add in pork and fry for 8-10mins (if not adding meat, skip this and go to 5.)
5. Toss in yam to fry for about 3-5mins
6. Add in a bit of water, salt and pepper to taste and let yam simmer about 5min. Set aside (if meat not added, season with five-spice powder and soy sauce)
7. When rice is cooked, add in yam mixture, fried shallots and mix it thoroughly
8. Garnish with spring onions/cilantro & more fried shallots before serving

Other posts:
Nasi Lemak
Tom Yum or Tom Yam rice
Cabbage fried rice
Japanese curry rice - tonkatsu curry don
Braised chicken rice

Tag: yam, taro, yam rice