Home cooked Yam Rice (芋头饭）

To Commemorate My Deceased Mom's Cooking, Yam Rice. A childhood home-cooked delicacy.

I remember very clearly I have cooked this Yam Rice recipe during my University in United Kingdom at Student Accommodation in Year 2011. And the delicacy of Singapore home-cooked food has attracted my uni friends to crowd around my dining table to plead for food-tasting. I mean I only cooked 1-person portion meal that day. And since my schoolmates dropped by my accommodation and asking me to allow them to try, I can't say no. Haha. I am too kind-hearted when coming to food-sharing. I remembered, Sun, my Korean classmate, astonishingly asked, "Hah? You know how to cook?" "Of course, dear. I'm already a Mommy before coming to UK to pursue my Master's degree. I have 2 sons to look after since they were born." Then, "Oh! I see..." It's so hilarious having to explain my standing.

In Year 2011, we were on a uni collaborative project together, trying to explain to our UK lecturers Chinese cooking need a lot of time for ingredient preparation before starting to cook on stove, sometimes, the preparation plus cooking time can extend to 1 hour or more. Our UK lecturers unbelievably asked, "Is it because you're slow in cooking or is it the Chinese recipe cooking really need to consume this much of the time?" We replied, "Perhaps, we are slow because we are not professional cook. But a normal person to cook a Chinese dish, some of the Chinese cuisine we really need at least an hour to fully complete the task."

10 years later, that is, today on 10 July 2021, I decided to remake Yam Rice recipe to feed my 2 grown-up sons and my hubby. Yam Rice, is a recipe imparted from my deceased mom. I have lost her last year during June 2020 COVID lockdown when her dementia was at her last stage. It was such a heartbreaking moment. I decided to dig out the Yam Rice recipe to cook it one more time, partly also to commemorate my mom's cooking during my childhood.

This time, the Yam Rice varies a little from the one I cooked 10 years ago in United Kingdom.

I will show the food preparation step-by-step as follows and accompanied by an updated videoclip thereafter:

Step 1: Prepare Food Ingredients – Diced Yam Cubes, Shiitake Mushrooms (Sun-dried mushrooms can be used if you can't find any similar), Dried Shrimps (whole or chopped as desired), Garlic (chopped), Small Onions (chopped), Chinese Sausage (Optional – you can use hot dogs if you can't find any similar)

Step 2: Determine the amount of servings you need. Cook white rice in advance.

Step 3: Stir fry chopped dried shrimps over medium heat stove.

Step 4: Stir fry dried shrimps till fragrant.

Step 5: Semi-cooked chopped dried shrimps. Take it out and place the cooked shrimps in a bowl.

Step 6: Stir fry chopped small onions.

Step 7: Stir fry chopped small onions till fragrant. Take it out and place the cooked onions in a bowl.

Step 8: Prepare a pot of water to pre-boil chinese sausage.

Step 9: You will see a layer of oil floating on the surface of the boiling water. Discard the oil and water. Drain the chinese sausages in a dry bowl.

Step 10: Back to the heating wok or saucepan, stir fry the mushrooms till cooked.

Step 11: For quality check, when cooked, the mushrooms will be soft and tender for chewing. Take it out and place the cooked mushrooms in a bowl.

Step 12: Stir fry the chopped garlic.

Step 13: Stir fry the chopped garlic till fragrant.

Step 14: Add in diced yam cubes to garlic. Continue to stir fry.

Step 15: Stir fry the diced yam cubes till soft and cooked.

Step 16: This step is optional. Add a little water if yam is still hard. But not too much water, otherwise, yam cubes become too soggy. Take the yam cubes out and place the cooked yam cubes in a bowl.

Step 17: Clean the wok or saucepan, and reheat partial cooked dried shrimp.

Step 18: Add in pre-cooked white rice with fried dried shrimps in the wok or saucepan. Stir fry and mix well with the cooked rice.

Step 19: Add in pre-cooked sliced mushrooms. Stir fry and mix well with the cooked rice.

Step 20: Add in pre-cooked diced yam cubes. Stir fry and mix well with the cooked rice.

Step 21: Add in pre-cooked chinese sausage. Stir fry and mix well with the cooked rice.

Step 22: Add in dark soya sauce with a little added tap water

Step 23: Mix all ingredients well in the wok or saucepan after pouring in the soya sauce mix.

Step 24: Continue to stir fry till all ingredients coated with soya sauce.

Step 25: Put the cooked yam rice into rice cooker.

Step 26: Cook the stir-fried yam rice in rice cooker for 15 minutes. Leave additional 30 minutes to 1-hour keep-warm heat on till rice fully cooked. Prepare servings, thereafter.


Happy Cooking!
Both my boys love my cooked Yam Rice, and gobbled up the whole pot of rice.
My hubby said the taste is not bad although a bit oily.
I guess it's the chinese sausage that contributes too much oil.
Alright. I will take note of that. Next round, I'll use lesser cooking oil.