Purple Yam

First off, sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing, just as fennel and anise root are not the same thing, even if the grocery clerk tries to tell you that the terms are interchangeable.  I'll focus on the sweet potato vs yam for this post.  They are two completely different plants.  Yams are related to lilies, where as sweet potatoes are in the morning glory family.  Yams have a rough surface, with ivory, yellow, or purple flesh.  Sweet potatoes have orange flesh with white, yellow, orange, or purple skin.  Sweet potatoes have much more beta carotene, something like 160 times more, 1/2 cup contains twice the RDI (recommended daily intake).  They are also much less starchy, so score lower on the glycemic index.  Yams are a good source of potassium and fibre.  Yams are also not always available at your local supermarket, check out a Caribbean market.

I use sweet potatoes often, because they are delicious, and it's a bonus that they are also nutritious.  I often cut them into fries, and bake them with a Cajun spice blend, and have them as a side or just a snack on their own.  Recently I picked up two yams.  I used one to make my baked fries, with some spices, mix of thyme, basil, savoury, and fennel; I wasn't sure if they'd make good fries, since they are so starchy.  They turned out yummy.  We inhaled them while I was making the dish that follows.

I used the other yam to make a curry.

Super easy and fast, for a healthy home made meal.

Cook some green lentils.  I like to cook them separately, otherwise they get mushy and make the dish look awful.  Drain and set aside.  Lentils don't take long to cook like beans, about 15 minutes, depending on how much you're making.  If you have to, use canned, but soak in cold water first to decrease the sodium.

Melt some butter in a pot, add chopped garlic and onion, cinnamon, cayenne, curry powder, coriander powder, cumin ( I used seeds and pink Himalayan salt rocks, so I crushed them with a mortar and pestle.  If you have cumin powder, use that and fine sea salt, or if you have seeds or coarse salt and no mortar and pestle, place either or both between wax paper or plain paper and use a rolling pin or a round mug to mash or roll over.  If you use a single sheet and fold it in half instead of two separate sheets, it's easier to "pour" the spices into the pot.

Let it all fry for a minute, it'll smell wonderful.  Add a bit of water.  Then add chopped carrots and yam(s), cook for a bit, about 10 min; add cooked lentils, cover and simmer for another 10.

To thicken up the water, I made a roux, basically melt butter and add some flour:

Then stir it into the pot.  

If you don't have as much "sauce" as you'd like, stir in more water.  

Serve with basmati and fresh cilantro.

Selamat makan! (Indonesian)

(I hope I'm getting the right translations, if not please correct me).