Sis messaged me last week saying that she had taken her deep fryer out to be used this week as well as over the Christmas long weekend and that I could try out the yam ring recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover that I had found few weeks back. Couldn't remember why I had searched for that recipe in the first place.
Anyway, went with sis on her weekly grocery shopping at Giant yesterday and bought some Thai yam. The recipe called for 200g yam after cooked and I thought I had better get about 300g so that after peeling, slicing and dicing I would have about 200+g of yam to work with. The yam available in Giant were smaller than the one I used for the Ou Nee dessert previously and so I took about three of them. Got sis to weigh them while I went to take a packet of baby corn.
This morning Lyn said she wants to make crepes and sis told her to do it in the afternoon as tea break. She started cooking about 2+pm and I only got to start on mine about 3+pm. Washed, peeled, sliced and diced the three yam till my left hand itched. Felt strange coz my hand didn't itch when I handled the yam during my previous attempt at the Ou Nee. Took the usual metal tray to put the yam for steaming but it wasn't big enough.
By the time I finally put the yam into the steam oven to steam, it was about 4+pm. Let it steamed for 30 minutes before taking it out to mash. But there were still some pieces not soft enough to be mashed and hence put the whole tray back into the steam over to steam for another 10 minutes. Finally took it out and continued to mash while wondering why there seemed to be so much yam than the last time.
Took two big bowls out and weighed about 400g of yam in each bowl to work with and there was still some more yam left in the tray. I could feel that something was not right but I was already short of time. Quickly added the seasonings into the three portions of yam and mixed them into soft dough before shaping two of the portions into rings while the last portion was made into yam balls.
By the time I was done, it was already close to 6.30pm and I knew that BIL's sis and parents would be coming over for dinner soon. Hence quickly cleared the dining table and waited for the deep fryer to be ready for frying. BIL's sis came over first and when she saw the yam balls and the ring. Usually I would prefer that other people leave me alone to do my cooking but I guessed I was rather glad that she helped me with the frying part.
The first ring wasn't successful coz the oil didn't cover the whole ring and then it was stuck to the deep fryer basket. When we tried to take it up to turn it over to fry the other side, it broke into pieces. So BIL's sis suggested making the second ring smaller and shorter while she fried the yam balls. Did as told with sis using the extra dough to make more yam balls. The second ring was a success and I was happy. Placed it on a plate and decorated it with roast duck meat, char siew and baby corn.
Initially I was thinking of stir-frying the baby corn with chicken meat, carrot and button mushrooms but I was really short of time and hence had to make do with whatever I have in a very, very short time. Took a couple of photos of my creation before eating dinner. The yam rings and balls had yam taste obviously but didn't taste the same as those found in the zi char stalls in coffeeshops. It wasn't fragrant enough and not salty enough.
In the end, we only managed to finish about 2/3 of the broken ring and a few balls. The rest was thrown away in the end which I felt very wasteful and guilty about it. Cracked my brain about why the estimation was off and I finally figured out why. I kept thinking that I had only bought about 400g of yam and that it cost about $1.50+ per 100g and so the total cost was about $5+ when in fact, the label stated that the three yam weighed about 1.5kg and cost about $0.39 per 100g and so the cost was still about $5+. Sigh... My mistake. I should have just taken one yam instead of three.
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Yam Ring - Close-up
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Ingredients (Yam Ring):
200g yam (the weight is after cooked)
1 tbsp rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 tsp sugar
A dash of Chinese five-spice powder
A dash of pepper
Oil
Method:
1. Wash, slice and dice the yam
2. Steam yam slices for about 40 mins till soft
3. Mash steamed yam using a spatula
4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients into the yam paste and mix well
5. Add oil and mix well until the dough is soft and not too sticky
6. Shape into ring and deep fry the ring till golden brown (oil must cover the whole ring)
7. Serve hot with food of your choice in the ring
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