Scrumptious Eggplant Redux and Indian Yams

Gorgeous eggplant was crying out to be made into dinner! I sliced and marinated them for the eggplant dish the DH loves: Balsamic Eggplant with Goat Cheese while I decided what to do with a huge Garnet yam.

I remembered researching uses for the Indian spice mix known as panch phoran. One of the recipes I found was Gordon Ramsay's Sweet Potatoes in the London Times. Online access to the recipe is no longer available at the Times website, but the ingredients are very simple:

• 1 huge or two medium Garnet yams
• Olive oil 
• 5 tsps panch phoran spice mix
• 2-3 tbsps plain yogurt
• Handful of cilantro, chopped
• Thumb of ginger, finely minced

I precooked the yam in the microwave for about 5 minutes, in water so it was halfway submerged, turning it several times until soft to the touch, but not mushy. Pour off the water and set aside to cool. The panch phoran consists of equal amounts of the following whole spices: nigella, fennel, fenugreek, black mustard and cumin.

When the yams are cool enough to touch, peel and slice them into 1 to 1-1/2 inch cubes. Heat oil, then add panch phoran and stir until mix starts to pop. Stir in yams, and turn and cook until slightly crispy. Salt to taste, then add in yogurt and gently combine. Top with ginger and cilantro and serve.

We ate this with quinoa and a tiny bit of leftover ahi poke. A few nights later, I transformed the yam leftovers into a warming soup for a rainy evening.