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Yam/Taro Rice
Yam/Taro Rice is a savory one-pot meal made with long grain rice, fluffy taro (a.k.a. yam), chicken, and Chinese sausage. It is deliciously satisfying.
Taro is a flavorful, starchy tuber used in some Chinese and Japanese dishes. Growing up in Malaysia, we called this tuber, yam. I know this is really confusing because in some cultures, yam is used interchangeably with sweet potatoes. Taro a.k.a. yam, is not a sweet potato at all.
Taro in Chinese Cuisine
In Chinese cooking, taro is often mashed and mixed with flour or starch to create mock meat dishes in vegetarian cuisine. Some well-known dishes made with taro include Yam Basket, Wu Kok a dumpling found in dimsum fare, and Wu Tau Koh (Steamed Yam Cake). These dishes can be challenging to prepare but they are really tasty.
Back in the old days, Yam/Taro Rice was considered a frugal and economical dish. Yam/taro were cooked together with rice so that it can feed more people. Today, sumptuous ingredients like dried mushrooms and shrimps are added to flavor the dish. In the recipe below, I used chicken and Chinese sausage because my two sons prefer them. The dish turned out to be equally delicious.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Yam / Taro Rice
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T-fal Thermo-Spot Heat Indicator Anti-Warp Base Glass Lid Cookware, 12-Inch, Gray
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set
Yam/Taro Rice
Yam/Taro Rice is a savory one-pot meal made with long grain rice, fluffy taro (a.k.a. yam), chicken, and Chinese sausage. It is deliciously satisfying.
Ingredients
- 2 Chinese sausages
- 8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast (cut into tiny pieces) (225g)
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 8 oz taro / yam (cut into ¼ inch cubes) (225g)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups long grain rice (rinsed and drained) (400g)
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2¾ cups water (660ml)
Garnish
- Finely sliced green onions
- Fried shallots
- Sliced red chilies (optional)
Instructions
- Soak Chinese sausages in a pan of hot water for about 10 minutes. Casings should puff up. Remove casings and slice sausages into coins. Seasoned sliced chicken breast with pepper and soy sauce.
- Brown sausages in a non-stick pan without oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove leaving the oil rendered in the pan. Set aside sausages.
- Fry cubed yam/taro for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove and set aside. Most of the oil would have been absorbed by the yam/taro.
- Add sesame oil to the pan. Sauté minced garlic for 30 seconds, then add seasoned chicken breast. Continue to stir fry until chicken turns opaque, about 3 minutes.
- Add rice and five-spice powder. Stir to get all ingredients well mixed.
- At this point, the entire content of the pan may be transferred to a rice cooker if preferred. Add water, salt, fried sausages, and yam/taro. Stir to mix and cook rice as usual in the rice cooker.
- If you are not using rice cooker, add water to the rice. Return fried sausages and yam/taro cubes to the pan. Stir to mix. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid, season with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium and allow rice to cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
- Turn heat down to the lowest possible setting and allow rice to cook for another 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and remove pan. Allow rice to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Fluff rice using a pair of chopsticks or a spatula. Dish some onto a plate and sprinkle with garnish.
Nutrition
Calories: 620kcal
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A well cooked Yam/Taro Rice should be fluffy and not be mushy. Do not be tempted to add too much water even though yam/taro absorbs liquid when cooked. I only used an additional ¼ cup (60ml) water to my usual rice to water ratio and it was just right. I hope you’ll give it a try. This delicious savory one-pot meal is perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
NOTE: This post was updated on February 25th, 2014 with new pictures and additional write-up. Some minor changes were made to the original recipe.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
MaryMoh says
Ooooooh….this is one of my favourites. I love yam/taro…great cooked in any way. I hope to try this soon. Sadly I can't find fresh taro here. I think the frozen ones will do too.
Biren says
I love taro too! The frozen ones should do quite well 🙂
Cajun Chef Ryan says
Oh…never had taro rice, will have to look out for that next time at the market.
Biren says
Cajun Chef Ryan – Try it, you may really like it.
Joel A. says
Very interesting. I haven’t had taro in my rice before, but I would love to try it.
Linda says
It is supposed to be a frugal kind of dish. Do give it a try. 🙂
agnes says
sorry don’t get the 2 and 3/4 cups of water in ingredients list. when do u use it? pour in rice cooker?
what about 1 and a quater of water?when u use it
Linda says
If you are using the rice cooker, then you add the water in Step 6. If not, then add water to the pan in Step 7. The quarter cup water I mentioned in the last paragraph is an explanation that I used only that much extra when cooking this yam rice. I normally use 2 1/2 cups water for 2 cups of rice when I am cooking plain white rice.
Michelle Whitehead says
I followed the recipe but 2 ¾ cups of water was way too much liquid. My rice came out mushy.
Linda says
I am surprised to hear that your rice came out mushy. In that case, please reduce water to 2 1/2 cups. I usually use 1:1.25 rice to water ratio. In this case, I only added an extra 1/4 cup water for the taro. If not, it will be too dry or not properly cooked. That said, there are many different kinds of rice and some require more whiles others require less water to cook.
Florence says
4 star ratings. Taste good with flavourful ingredients.
Linda says
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe.