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Recipe for "yam-curry"

NAME

     YAM-CURRY - Yams in yogurt and spices-good lamb  curry  sub-
     stitute
     The yams in this dish are cooked in a sauce very  much  like
     that  traditionally  used  for meat. Serve with chapatis and
     rice. The recipe is derived from one  in  The  Hamlyn  Curry
     Cookbook, by Meera Taneja, which I recommend highly.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

     450 g     tender yams
     15-30 ml   salt
     750 ml    vegetable oil for deep frying
     5 cm      fresh ginger root
     1         garlic clove
     30-50 ml   vegetable oil
     5 ml      cumin seeds
     2         green cardamoms
     1         bay leaf
     4         peppercorns
     2.5 cm    stick cinnamon
     5 ml      turmeric
     2 ml      chili powder (or use cayenne pepper)
     5 ml      ground coriander
     2 ml      garam masala (optional)
     to taste  salt
     120 g     fresh tomatoes (or use 250 g canned tomatoes)
     60 ml     yogurt
     400 ml    water
     15 ml     chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Peel the yams, cut them into 2.5 cm  cubes,  place
               in  a  colander  and sprinkle liberally with salt.
               Let stand 10-15 minutes, then dry on paper towels.
          (2)  Meanwhile, finely  chop  the  onion,  ginger,  and
               garlic, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat the il
               over a moderate flame, add  the  cumin  seed,  and
               cook until they begin to splutter. Add the chopped
               onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is
               a rich golden color. Add all the spices and season
               with salt to taste. Cook a few seconds  more,  and
               then  add  the  tomatoes.  Let this cook while you
               continue as below.
          (3)  Heat the oil for deep frying to  180  deg.  C  and
               cook  the yam cubes, a few at a time, until golden
               brown.  Drain  on  absorbent  kitchen  paper.  Set
               aside.
          (4)  Add the yogurt to the tomato mixture, and continue
               to  cook until the oil begins to separate out. Add
               the water and bring to a  boil.  Let  boil  a  few
               minutes,  then add the yam cubes, reduce heat, and
               simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.
          (5)  Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy to moderate.  Time: 1 hour preparation,  30
     minutes cooking.  Precision: measure the ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

     John Hughes
     Brown University, Providence RI
      ihnp4!brunix!jfh